The Company of Wolves
by PyriteQueen
Summary: Three shapeshifters raised by Bilbo come onto the epic story of a company of dwarves to reclaim their homeland. ThorinxOC, FilixOC, KilixOC
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

There was a knock on the door, and the three girls sitting in their rooms swung their heads up. Bilbo was making dinner, but he never mentioned company before. Nor was he planning on inviting anyone over soon. So they all got up and peeked out of their doors.

Bilbo came from the kitchen, his face scrunched in confusion as he tied his rob tighter around the center. When he looked behind at the girls, they shrugged. They don't invite people over anyways, everyone in the shire was terrified of them. Even if they weren't so upfront about it. They were friendly at times, but the girls knew they were talked about in hushed tones. It didn't bother them, they had Bilbo, who had looked after them since they were pups.

They watched as Bilbo opened the front door and was met with a tallish, burly man. His beard thick, but his head partially bald. They could smell something new about him. Maybe he wasn't a man? It's not man's scent.

"Dwalin. At your service." He bowed, his voice thick with an accent. Bilbo didn't know what to say or if he should question the strange man first. So he fixed his robe a bit more and nodded back,

"Bilbo….Baggins, at yours."

Dwalin, the strange man, barely taller than Bilbo himself, frankly just walked through the door and pushed past Bilbo. Stammering, Bilbo decided to actually ask his question earlier. "Do we… know each other?"

Dwalin seemed just as confused as the hobbit. He furrowed his thick brows, "No?" As if that answer was obvious. Which it was but to Bilbo just walking up to a random hobbit's house and inviting themselves in without prior invitation, calls for necessary questioning.

"Uh…Bilbo?" One of the girls asked, making the very befuddled man turn around and look at her.

"Yes Ash?" He watched as Dwalin took off his coat and wrapped it around his arm. Before tossing it at the hobbit to catch. He turned to look at the three girls as well, not even noticing them there.

"Should we shoo away the guest?" She asked, one brow raised since clearly this man wasn't invited. His scent alone was making her want to plug her nose after only a minute of being here. Her friend Rea already put a hand up to her nostrils to block it out.

Bilbo shook his head after a moment of thinking, clearly not wanting to say anything in front of their 'guest'. Dwalin bowed to the girls, "Evenin'."

"Wow you're an ugly one."

Ash covered her mouth with a laugh while Rea punched her other friends arm. Bilbo looked at the girl in the middle who didn't seemed fazed at all at what she just said. "Dakota, be _quiet_." He said through clenched teeth.

Dwalin huffed, "You're not much of a looker either sweetheart."

Dakota didn't even react just glared at him, arms crossed. "Now, where is it?" Dwalin boomed suddenly, startling Bilbo who was still holding his things.

"Where is what?"

Dwalin glanced at him, like he was expecting to be bottle fed these answers. "Supper? He said there'd be food, and lots of it."

The girls came down from the hall and stood next to Bilbo as Dwalin made for the kitchen. "He said?"

"Wait, who said?" Rea echoed, exchanging a look with Dakota. While Ash turned to Bilbo,

"Bilbo did someone else come by today while we were out hunting?" She put on a face of concern, he was supposed to tell them if anybody strange ever bothered him. They're very protective of him and he knows that.

"Well…No! No! I have food right here for you mister Dwalin!" Bilbo shoved the items away, forgetting to answer Ash and went over to share some of the dinner he made with Dwalin. Disapproving looks from all three girls followed suite.

"He's always way too nice to people. This guy doesn't deserve to eat the fish we caught today." Ash murmured to her best friends standing next to her. Shaking her head slightly, Rea went after him.

Dakota stopped Ash from following, her blue eyes wide, "Wait you're saying that guy is _eating the fish I caught today?_ Oh hell naw." She stepped ahead of Ash and stormed into the kitchen, while Ash quickly followed to make sure her friend didn't start throwing things because of her hard-earned work being eaten up by somebody very unappreciated here.

"Wait wait Koda." She pulled at her arm but before anything else happened, Dwalin already sucked down the entire plate of food and was chewing engrossedly into the tender meat. "Oh, that's just not cool."

Bilbo sent a warning look to the girls as all of their invisible fur was basically bristling just looking at him.

"Very goodness, any more?" Dwalin spoke through a mouthful of fish.

"Oh, yes right here." Bilbo handed him some bread scones.

Ash growled, "Bilbo…stop feeding the man." She clenched her fists, watching as Dwalin looked at her, then proceeded to take an enormous bite of the scone right in front of her.

The door knocked.

Dwalin looked over at Bilbo who was standing very stiff next to him. "That'll be the door."

"Do not tell me you invited more people?!" Dakota raised her voice, before slapping the scone out of Dwalin's hand. All he did was glare at her as he continued chewing, while Dakota put both her hands on the table facing him, giving him an icy look in return.

While the stare-down was happening, Ash followed Bilbo to the door, Rea not far behind. This time Bilbo opened it and another man with a pure white beard stood there.

"Another dwarf?" Bilbo whispered to himself, the word catching on Ash's ears. Dwarf? That's what this scent was? _Ewwww…._

This 'dwarf' looked a bit perkier and smiled broadly at the hobbit. "Balin. At your service." He finished with a bow.

"What do you want dwarf thing?" Ash growled, sensing Bilbo's uneasiness very rapidly. He didn't invite this one either and she didn't even have to ask. But once again, Bilbo hushed her and pushed her back behind him.

"Good evening." He simply stated.

"Yes, yes it is. Although I think it might rain later." Balin replied, matter of factly.

Rea gave Ash another confused glance, this one way less disguised than the last few. But Ash just shook her head. From the kitchen came a large sound, vibrating of the floor as Dwalin got up from his seat.

"He doesn't like you touching things, now _stop it!_" Dakota had wrenched the dwarf's arm away from the cookie jar and was met with a scowl from the burly man. She defiantly took the jar and set it back where it was, giving him the same cold glare.

"Oh!" Balin saw his friend and walked up to him. All the girls and Bilbo could do was watch dumbfounded.

"Bilbo, are you leaving something out?" Ash questioned him yet again. All Bilbo did was mumble and shake his head, not really answering. "Bilbo!" She raised her voice, clearly getting annoyed. Her green eyes were bright and focused on him as all Bilbo did was fumble with his words.

"I-I" He started.

The two dwarves laughed and smashed their heads together, clearly a thing they do for close brotherly greetings. Which is different than what Ash and the girls do, they sniff butts as wolves. So she can't really be weirded out.

"I think you guys have the wrong house. This isn't a place for you to stay." Rea spoke up, but the two dwarves were so busy catching up, they totally ignored her. She threw her hands up and looked at the rest of them.

The two dwarves then made their way over to the pantry and started observing all the food Bilbo had. In which Bilbo tried multiple times to get their attention and tell them that they were in the wrong house. But of course to no avail, even after they caught his apology for being 'blunt' in his own way. They continued on.

"This is going nowhere. We gotta kick them out." Dakota suggested, standing by the hall behind Bilbo and his babbling. Ash nodded but Rea shook her head,

"We gotta behave like Bilbo says. You know how he is with guests, let alone strangers."

She made a point, Ash thought, but they were touching everything and eating his food without his permission. It just wasn't right for them to be on_ their_ territory and take _their_ things.

The doorbell rang.

Bilbo leaned over and watched the door, but this time Ash blocked his view. "NO. We are not inviting anyone else in. I'll handle this Bilbo."

Before he could protest, she was already stomping aggressively towards the door. He knew they wouldn't be very hospitable like he was raised to be. But at this time he knew they couldn't have anymore strange dwarfs, even if he was afraid to say it out loud. He was hoping Rea would be the one to tell them off though, she was always the more calm one of the three. But her bright red hair was nowhere to be seen as the two other girls made for the door. She stood by Bilbo and tried to talk to the already imposing dwarf's inside the pantry once more.

When Ash opened the door, two young looking dwarves were there now. Two more?! She sighed as she watched them bow just like the other two.

"You must be Mr. Baggins? Or maybe related?" The dark haired one leaned over to the other. "I thought it was a man….?" He tried to whisper but Ash and Dakota clearly had better hearing than they knew.

"Uh no, we're not. This is the wrong house actually. No Mr. Baggins or whatever lives here. You can go away, byeee." Ash put on a fake little smile and started to shut the door but the one named Kili stopped it very suddenly.

"What? There's been a cancel?"

Fili leaned in too, "No one told us." He narrowed his eyes at Ash while Dakota gave him the same look in return.

"He doesn't want you here. Go the hell away." Dakota pressed on the door but both dwarves now shoved it open.

"Ah so he does live here, That's a relief!" Kili strode right in, while Fili waltzed in confidently a second after, giving Ash a wink. She growled quietly once more and shut the door.

She knew they could forcibly remove them with a swift change and some bite marks, but once they saw the look on Bilbo's face, they knew they had to behave.

Looking at him with a pout as they couldn't stop two more, Bilbo sighed and went to go scold Kili for wiping his boots where they shouldn't be.

"This place is nice, did you do it yourself?" Kili wondered, while Fili took off his weapons and handed them to Ash. Reluctantly, she grabbed them, giving him a scowl as he smirked.

"Be careful with these, I just had them sharpened."

This time Dakota's deep growl could be heard from directly behind her. Fili just talked to her like she was some imp of a child! Disturbing.

Ash tossed the swords and other weapons right onto the bench, not giving a rats ass about their condition.

Dwalin came over and greeted the two brothers (for their scent was similar Ash knew they were related) and pulled them over to help set up the dining room. They mentioned that they had to fit more dwarves and Bilbo's face almost went pale.

"More of you?!" He almost squeaked. Ash and Rea exchanged a look as Dakota ran for the door and blocked it immediately, her eyes wide.

"No way are we getting more dwarves in this hole. No freaking way." She declared, while Bilbo was about to say something when the doorbell rang once more.

He marched over to the door anyways, his temper already gone. "No! I don't need any more dwarves in this house! If this is some joke, it is in _very_ poor taste!" He moved Dakota out of the way even though she told him to not open it several times. And when he did, an enormous bundle of dwarves just fell flat onto the floor.

They were all cursing at each other for their weight and stupidness while Bilbo and the girls just gaped. But from behind the dwarven mess on the floor, there was a tall man in grey robes peeking from above the doorway, When his eyes met Bilbos' the hobbit slumped his shoulders. "Gandalf." He breathed, recognition evident and the entire night now making sense to him. The girls knew him too, he was the one that set them on Bilbo's front porch when he was just a young adult and they were lost pups.

When all the dwarves started to set the table up and take all of Bilbo's food, he was profusely checking on every dwarf that brought some sort of food out, telling them to put it back but to no avail. The girls all were around him, doing the same thing to help.

"He said put it back! Now do it!" Dakota grabbed one of the foods from a dwarf with an axe in his head and placed it back into the pantry. The dwarf started angrily motioning how rude of her that was and Gandalf stepped in to calm them both down.

Once 'Bifur' was able to go back and get the item Gandalf turned to Dakota, who was eyeing him furiously. "You must be Dakota? Bilbo mentioned you earlier along with your other pack mates. It's good to see you all grown up."

She scoffed, "I'm still trying to figure out why you so rudely told a company of dwarves that it was okay to pillage Bilbo's food storage. I contributed to over half that meat and fish!" She threw her arms up in exasperation. But she saw that the wizard looked unfazed which annoyed her even more.

"Young pup, there is more to this gathering than meets the eyes. You will see." Was all he said, before getting distracted by another dwarf offering him wine.

Rea was about to stop the biggest dwarf from taking four cheese wheels, but she felt her smaller form shiver at the thought of standing in his way, especially with the way he was eyeing the cheese. "Sir, I'm gonna have to ask you to get a cheese knife or something, that looks dangerous to eat all by yourself…." She cringed as he walked past her without a word.

Another one came up from next to her, "Cheese knife? He eats it by the block."

"That's disgusting."

"Not if you have five stomachs!" He laughed, his accent thick through his words. He walked away and Rea tried to stop more of the dwarves from taking more than they need. These dwarves were rather _pigs_ than anything, do they even need this much food?!

Sure on a bad day, the three girls could eat their fair share of a few kills, but not to this extent for much smaller beings. Where does it all go?

"And you're the lovely Rea, am I right?" Gandalf appeared next to her as she failed yet again to help Bilbo stop them from taking antique chairs. She looked up at him, a little worn out already with this mess.

"Gandalf, can you please explain why there are so many in such a small house? Wasn't there somewhere other than a hobbit house to have a feast at? I mean seriously…" She looked over the dwarves coming back and forth. The space a little too tight for her comfort.

"Bilbo said you had bright red hair, it is very beautiful in person I tell you. Quite a rare sight indeed for your kind." Another dwarf with red hair and thick braids walked in between them. "Well, not for dwarves though." He chuckled, but Rea frowned still, knowing how upset Bilbo is when they have to clean this up afterwards.

"We're going to be hunting for _months_ to get this meat back. And if that's the case, I'll just eat all of them right here and now, so it'll last me." Ash grumbled a she came up to Rea. Who smacked her arm at her words.

"Watch what you say! They might freak if they knew you were serious about that and that we could actually do it." Rea hissed. Ash rubbed her arm and pouted, knowing how hard they'll have to work to get so much food back.

"And you're Ash?" Gandalf guessed, since she was the last of the pack of three.

Ash lowered a brow, "I don't like you." Was all she stated.

Gandalf hummed and left the girls to stop the dwarves once more from eating more than they could possibly chew. Gandalf counted the party while they were all bustling around, and he counted 12 dwarves. There was one missing.

"He is late is all." Dwalin answered his thoughts before he could voice them. "He went up north to a meeting of our kin. He will come." Sipping more of his drink and not really doing much more to help, Gandalf nodded to him as a thank you. He also wondered how this lot was going to take the fact on what the three girls standing here really were. He hoped in due time they would accept them, as they're invaluable to help this quest if things ever do go wrong. They weren't from this world, they were transported here, so whatever fate they may have had, is now going to hopefully change the fate this quest would've had too. It's a long shot, but Gandalf knew he had to take that chance.

When all the dwarves were finally sitting down, along with Gandalf, they began to feast. Throwing food this way and that, Bombour catching some in his mouth to the amusement of the entire table. While Bilbo mused over his now empty pantry, Rea went to comfort him while Dakota and Ash stood by the entryway to the dining room, watching them make a huge mess of everything.

"Unbelievable." Ash groaned, unable to even think of what they'll have to clean up after this. She was planning a long night of reading, before going out and shifting with her girls later. This will at least take up until morning, no doubt if they don't fall asleep doing it.

"I wanna kick all their asses." Dakota deadpanned, leaning against the door frame with her arms crossed. Ash murmured in agreement.

Dwalin poured some ale down Oin's ear trumpet and the poor dwarf had to blow it back out again, giving a roar of laughter to the whole company.

Gandalf smiled and looked over at the girls glaring at them all and met eyes with Dakota. He raised his ale to her and she rolled her eyes and looked away. Bilbo hadn't said much about them, he was hoping to learn more about each of their personalities if they decided to come on this journey. He was already quite intrigued.

After the dinner was done, Bilbo grabbed Gandalf and brought him aside to have a word with him, clearly very visibly upset. Which is rare because the last time he was so angry was when Dakota had ripped apart one of his couches due to her throwing a fit about being grounded. She smiled at that memory though because at the end of the day he gave her warm tea and forgave her for her actions, even though it was an antique design.

"You know, we learned of Bilbo's name but not yours young lassie." When Dakota looked over she saw a red headed dwarf smiling at her. She was still fuming about the fact that all their hard work at harvesting and bringing in game over the months before winter all went to waste in one night, that she only scoffed and rolled her eyes at him.

"You're not staying, so you don't need to know." She replied scathingly.

Ash came up from behind and stood across from the dwarf who looked shocked at her friends reply. She knew Bilbo wanted them to be nice even though he was very upset right now. They _were_ going to be gone by morning anyways, no harm done.

"I'm sorry, she's cranky when she doesn't eat. My name is Ash, this is my pa-friend." She almost said 'pack-mate' but she caught last minute that that might've been weird to hear. She cleared her throat, "I mean this is my friend Dakota, and our other friend over there with the bright red hair is Rea."

He nodded and looked appreciative of her responding nicely, "You look like a strong group of women together. Keepin' mister Baggins on his toes eh?" He laughed. "I am Gloin, at your service." He did a small bow with his head. Ash returned the gesture while Dakota walked away, not interested anymore. Her blonde friend had the shortest temper at the best of times. Well, dirty blonde hair mostly, its faded since they were younger, she always teases Dakota about it either being a light brown or dirty blonde.

"Here Ori give it to me." Fili took the plate Ori was holding and threw it to his brother who caught it effortlessly. Each of the dwarves started to toss and throw plates and silverware everywhere, nearly giving Bilbo a heart attack. They sang a song to go with it too, just to tease Bilbo about how perfect he wanted everything and to not 'blunt the knives'.

The song was rather catchy, and clearly they made it up on the spot but apparently everybody knew the words. Rea went over to the dining room and watched as they sang and cleaned the plates off. Bilbo was yelling at them that it was silverware and plates that were over 100 years old and for the first time, his annoyance was rather funny. As the dwarves paid no mind to it, they kept singing and dancing around and throwing delicate things very carefully and catching them. Rea let out a small laugh.

"That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!" They all finished as he stormed in and all the utensils and plates were neatly stacked and cleaned. They all roared with laughter and cheered each other on the job well done. Gandalf smoking and laughing with them as Ash and Dakota showed up to see the neatly done job as well.

Then everyone went quiet as the door knocked three times.

Gandalf went solemn. "He is here."

Rea exchanged a look with her friends, wondering why such intensity was needed for this one person.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Gandalf was the one who stood up and went to answer the door before Dakota and Ash decided they had officially had enough for the night and kicked him out very rudely, without even knowing who it was.

When he swung it open, there stood another dwarf, but this time he had a different air about his nature. The way he stood, and the way he looked at Gandalf definitely showed that of authority. Dakota knew that look from anywhere. This must be the leader Gandalf was wondering about earlier that she overheard.

When she looked around, even all the dwarves had calmed down in their stature. They were gazing at him with small smiles and bright eyes. She figured this leader must be admired greatly by these people.

"Gandalf." He started. The deepness in his voice caused her own heart to shutter. Wow whose voice goes _that_ deep? Crazy. "I thought you said this place was going to be easy to find. I lost my way, twice."

The leader walked in and started to unhook his cloak, smiling at the two brothers that stood in the doorway of the main hall. He wrapped his cloak around his arm just like Dwalin did, and handed it over to Kili.

"Bilbo, I'd like for you and the girls to meet the leader of our company, Thorin Oakenshield." Gandalf introduced, gesturing to them while Bilbo looked him up and down warily. Clearly very intimidating, Thorin looked at the hobbit himself and assessed his virtue through his piercing blue eyes.

"So, this is the hobbit." He wondered, then stepped aside and walked around him in a circle, like a predator and prey. "Tell me Master Baggins have you done much fighting?"

Bilbo swallowed and looked rather uncomfortable with the question. "Well, I went on a few hunting trips with my girls but just watched from a distance. But I fail to see why that's…relevant." He cleared his throat and when he mentioned the girls Thorin looked around to try and spot them.

"I figured as much. He looks more like a grocer than a burglar." The company chuckled. "What girls did you speak of by the way?" He looked around once more.

Dakota figured this was their cue and Bilbo called out to them. So she stepped up from the side where she was standing while Ash and Rea came from next to Bombour and Gloin. They all three walked up to Bilbo behind him and gave Thorin direct eye contact. Except Dakota, she hated making eye contact, it made her feel awkward.

"Are they your children? The look too tall for that." He questioned, looking back at Bilbo then back again to the girls.

"Oh goodness no. I raised them." He informed, being careful not to say from 'pups'. "This is Rea, Ash, and Dakota."

Rea waved, Ash nodded, and Dakota just shifted her weight to one side with her arms crossed. They all felt his and the whole companies gaze go over them slowly, as if studying what's so different about them, that they can't quite place.

"Interesting names, where did they come from?" Balin asked from behind. While Bilbo stammered a bit, he had no idea, for when they were pups, the names were etched into little chains around their necks. He just stuck with them.

Bilbo pointed at Balin, "That is an excellent question. For I uh…read them, in a book. I just liked the words so I named them that. Yes." Seeming satisfied with that answer, the company nodded. Thorin with Fili right behind his shoulder, looked very unconvinced. Bilbo kept up his little smile though.

With a little nod Thorin walked away with his company and Gandalf and Bilbo both let out silent sighs of relief.

"Well that was awkward." Dakota spewed out randomly.

Back in the dining hall, Gandalf asked Dakota if she could grab a bowl of soup for Thorin before he sat down next to him. Dakota was about to tell him to get his own damn soup when Bilbo shook his head slightly at her glowering look. Sighing, she went to the kitchen and made some soup with the leftovers.

Ash and Rea stood in the hall with Bilbo as they listened to what they were saying. Thorin went to a meeting with all seven dwarf kingdoms, but when Dwalin asked if 'Dain' was with them, Thorin replied with regret that he wasn't going to come help. His face lowering along with the companies at the one chance they had of an army coming to help them.

Dakota walked in and came behind Thorin, placing the bowl in front of him gently. When Thorin looked up at her she met his eyes, their proximity a little too close for comfort as she set the bowl down. He nodded at her in gratuity and she quickly walked away, furrowing her brows.

"What's this a bout a Dain not coming?" She asked the girls, in which Rea caught her up briefly.

"Ravens have been seen flying back to the mountain. As it was foretold, 'when the birds of yore return to Erebor. The reign of the beast will end.'" Oin spoke ominously, encouraging everyone at the table that the time was right.

Dakota and the girls stepped ever closer, intrigued by the quest they were going on. This must be why they gathered here, for privacy to talk about the most important mission in this lifetime, and to collect every dwarf that came when called. Dakota was impressed with the fortitude they all have.

"What beast?" Bilbo asked, his voice had a little quiver. Rea gave him a pity look, he was always so scared of things like beasts being real. She remembered the day he found out they could shift into human beings. Not to mention he never imagined how big they could actually get. At this age, they were almost double the size of a regular horse, far too big to shift safely inside of his home anymore. But if Bilbo could experience that, surely any other beast was just folklore in this world?

Bofur spoke up from the pipe he was smoking, "Oh that would be a reference to Smaug the terrible. Chiefest and greatest calamity of our time."

With silence after that, nobody spoke, almost out of fear?

Ash stood up straighter and walked closer to Bilbo who was looking too intent on what this 'beast' was. She was here to protect him, if he needed to be reassured that he won't ever go near one. That's what she would do, because him being near a beast? Almost laughable.

"You know? Airborne firebreather. Teeth like razors, claws like meat hooks." He paused as Bilbo's eyes got wider. "Extremely fond of precious metal-"

"Yes I know what a dragon is, thank you." Bilbo cut him off. Clearly nervous as he grabbed his overalls.

Little Ori jumped up from where he sat, "I'm not afraid. I'm up for it. I'll give him a taste of the dwarvish iron right up his jaxie!"

"Woahhh" Ash laughed at his enthusiasm to prove himself among such mighty warriors. Dori grabbed him and sat him down as the company brushed his outburst aside with 'tsks'. "I like him" She told Rea who giggled.

At that noise, some of the members looked over at her and she froze. Rea gave them all a 'what are you looking at?' glare before her eyes settled on Kili who chuckled over the rest of the silence at her glance. She furrowed her brows at him while Ash shook her head at her feisty little friend.

"The task is hard enough with an army behind us. But we number just thirteen." Balin spoke above them all. His words bringing news the company all knew but didn't face the fact yet. They were alone in this, all of them. To reclaim their homeland, a place where they belonged. Ash wasn't sure exactly what happened, but it looks as if the dragon stole their home, and they want it back. She thought that was rather sad to lose a home like that, a place where you grew up.

"And not thirteen of the best, nor brightest." Balin adds with a raised eyebrow at Thorin who nodded.

Some of the dwarves got slightly offended at that, shouting out that they can fend for themselves just fine. Ash shared a look with Dakota at that, for they both had a good idea who would be good in a fight and who would _bounce_.

They both smirked at the same thought.

Rea smacked her in the stomach knowing exactly what laugh they shared. Even though she had a small smile on her face as well.

Ash laughed at the contact and pushed Rea away who frowned at her to behave.

Again at that noise some of the dwarves looked over to them, this time Ash straight up rolled her eyes and looked away. It's like they never heard a laugh before, jeez.

Fili then smacked a hand to the table. "We may be few in numbers. But we're fighters, all of us! To the last dwarf!"

"And you forget we have a _wizard_ on our side, Gandalf would've killed _hundreds_ of dragons in his time." Kili added, trying to help lighten the mood of the company. Which was slightly working.

Although from Kili's assumptions, Gandalf choked a little on his pipe as they started to all question whether or not he had actually killed a dragon and how many. Before he could even answer properly, they all started shouting at each other around the table, getting up and Dwalin throwing his fists.

"What's the big deal?" Dakota yelled into the open, obviously annoyed at their sudden outbursts of frustration.

With the arguing going for another 10 good seconds she was about 3 from throwing a dwarf onto the middle of the table to get them to shut up. But Thorin beat her to it.

"No more!" He stood. His voice bellowing and instantly silencing the entire group. "If we have read the signs do you not think others would have read them too?"

The silence continued as he spoke more.

"Rumors have begun to spread. The dragon Smaug has not been seen for 60 years. Eyes looks East to the mountain, assessing, wondering, weighing the risk. Perhaps the vast wealth of our people now lies unprotected, do we sit back while others claim what is rightfully ours? Or do we seize this chance to take back Erebor!" He spoke in another language Ash thought as he finished, earning some cheers and hollers of determination.

Ash watched him in awe, along with the other girls, for such a quest wasn't to just get their home back. It was for his people, to be safe, and be filled with riches like none before. To be prosperous again, and earn their right to rule over the mountain, just like before. It was truly an inspiring thing to watch. She saw Rea watching intently while Dakota just leaned against the doorframe next to Bilbo, her expression unreadable.

Balin once again the bearer of bad news spoke up, "You forget the front gate is sealed." His words caused Thorin to sit back down, a little deflated. "There is no way into the mountain."

"That my dear Balin, is where you are wrong." Gandalf pulled an iron key from his sleeve, and showed it to Thorin. Whose eyes were fixed on it like it was the most precious jewel. Ash saw those eyes glow with hope, that this new chance to enter the mountain, was finally sealed at last, and they could go home. This was the most interesting dinner she had ever been to.

Gandalf told him it came from his father, to whence Thorin looked deeply into Gandalf's eyes in gratitude. He slowly reached forward and took hold of it, peering closely at its design.

Gandalf had a map in front of him that Ash failed to see before, she must've missed him pulling it out. But she noticed the Lonely Mountain in the middle of it, with a scarlet drawing of a dragon perched right above. If the front door is sealed, but Gandalf has a key…there has to be another door? Do dwarves have hidden doors? Ash was more intrigued by each moment passing.

Fili's voice filled her ears and out of her train of thought. "If there is a key…."

"There's a door." Ash couldn't stop herself from saying out loud. The company mostly looked at her, along with Fili whose eyes lit up at the idea.

Gandalf explained that there is something needing to be translated in order to get to this hidden door to the lower halls of the mountain kingdom.

Kili grabbed his brothers shoulder in excitement. "There's another way in." He smiled victoriously while the feeling grew throughout the entire company.

"Well, if we can find it, dwarf doors are invisible when closed." Gandalf sighed. "There are answers inside this map and I do not have the skill to find it. But, there are others in middle earth who can."

They all nodded in agreement that they need to find a translator. Gandalf continued, "The task I have ahead of us requires a great deal of stealth, and no small amount of courage. But if we are careful, and clever, I believe that it can be done."

This sounded like quite the task these dwarves had ahead of them, Ash wondered if they were going to have safe travels there, or if the only issue was getting past the dragon itself. If they ran into trouble, surely thirteen of them and a wizard could handle it?

"That's why we need a burglar!" Ori piped up from where he sat again. He sounded excited, like they had already found one.

Bilbo looked down at the map, "Yeah, and expert I'd imagine."

"And are you?" One of them inquired.

Bilbo looked back to Rea who shrugged, then back at them again. "Am I what?"

Oin and his amazing ability to hear, cheered, "He says he's an expert! Hey!"

"That's not what he said at all Oin, fix your damn hearing piece." Dakota snapped, earning a few glares from the dwarves at her rudeness. Gloin took it out and cleaned it up a bit anyways, his face a little shameful at her words.

Bilbo defended himself still, "I've never stolen a thing in my life!"

"I'll have to agree with Master Baggins. He's hardly the material." Balin agreed, seeming to the annoyance of Gandalf as Ash felt his emotions right next to her.

"Aye the wild is no place for someone who can't fight nor fend for themselves." Dwalin added, earning an agreed gesture from Thorin this time. Gandalf then had his patience worn out from this disapproval of his choice. He rose up and challenged them all, darkness surrounding his tall frame. Ash and the girls felt their heads pound a little and they all touched their temples in order to control it. Ash's eyes opened after a second once it was gone and looked over at her friends, they were all blurry eyed and trying to focus again after that brief headache.

Gandalf turned to Thorin, "You have asked me to find the final members of this company, and I have chosen Mister Baggins."

"You what?!" Rea and Dakota shouted at the same time. Ash couldn't even get a word out. Bilbo? Out on an adventure? Without them? She couldn't bear the thought.

Rea composed herself quickly, "Gandalf, you cannot expect Bilbo to go on this crazy adventure with you, along with many dangers and a fire breathing dragon. He doesn't know how to fend for himself, what if you all fail to protect him?"

Bilbo seemed a bit embarrassed, "Thank you Rea, for that compliment…" Clearly he was talking about being completely useless looking in front of the whole company, and a warrior king. Rea didn't even acknowledge that, she just looked at Gandalf. Dakota narrowed her eyes at the wizard, daring him to take their caretaker away. He was like a father to them, even though they were all so young to begin with and didn't have much of an age difference. They would be lost without him.

"There is a lot more to him than appearances suggest." Gandalf spoke directly to the Dwarf King. "Him and his girls." He added, giving them all a fond look over. Although they were all looking peeved at the thought of them taking Bilbo away, they probably didn't even realize Gandalf had planned for that.

Thorin looked like he was thinking about it, but doubt was on his side. He didn't want anybody to slow them down, or have more responsibility than he already had.

Gandalf noticing the girls lined up behind Bilbo, leaned into Thorin. "You must trust me." He looked intently into his eyes, clearly sending a message. Dakota watched the exchange before Thorin glanced over at Bilbo, but mostly at the girls behind him. When he met his gaze with Dakota, her determination to keep Bilbo safe evident in her silver-grey eyes, he seemed to have gotten the hidden message.

"Very well." He turned back to Gandalf before ordering Balin to give him the contract.

"Wait-" Bilbo tried protesting but Thorin shoved the paper into his chest before he could say anything more. Bilbo, being the hobbit he is, started reading the words. Thorin leaned in to say something to Gandalf, but Dakota heard him say he wasn't responsible for his fate. Which in that case sealed the deal for her. No way was he going on a quest where nobody was looking out for him.

"Gandalf, no way are we letting you just take him away from us! He has nobody there to protect him if anything goes wrong. And from the view of that map, that's nowhere near here, meaning lots can happen in between." Ash stood directly in front of Gandalf and looked him in the eyes. He had to know they weren't going to leave him.

"I would protect him." Gandalf assured, but he knew that did nothing to persuade the three wolves bristling in front of him. He sighed and smiled a bit at their loyalty, something he knew would be vital for this quest. Later on, of course.

"Incineration?" Bilbo gulped, wide eyes looking at the company, mostly Bofur who explained the dragon.

"Oh, aye he'll melt the flesh off your bones in the blink of an eye." Bofur clarified, very unnecessarily. Bilbo felt the wind and his head go light, he leaned over immediately and blew out some air. But after some more 'encouraging' words from Bofur, Bilbo looked up and then fainted.

Right before he hit the floor, Rea caught him and pulled him up, his large feet limp underneath him. "Way to go Bofur, you idiot." She growled, glaring daggers at the now shrinking Bofur, sitting down again.

Ash and Dakota gave him the same look as they followed Rea to a couch.

Once Bilbo was awake, Rea got him some tea while Ash stoked up the fire a bit. Dakota went to walk around to make sure the dwarves didn't touch or break anything while Bilbo was recovering.

When Gandalf came up to him, he told the girls to give them some time alone as he needed to talk to Bilbo. Ash and Rea exchanged a glance and looked back up at him. Gandalf gave them a look that said, 'do as I say please'. They both nodded and got up to go walk around for a bit.

Ash went to go clean up the table a little bit and wipe it down with a wet cloth. She mumbled to herself about how ridiculous it was to even think about bringing Bilbo along this quest. He was always so worried when they went out hunting, making sure to wake up whenever they get home so he can see for himself that they were safe.

But at the same time, this quest that they were on…it seemed so, important. To put it lightly of course. The urgency and the need to get their homeland back was consuming to them. It was all they wanted to be loyal to Thorin, and he wanted to make his forefathers proud by reclaiming the mountain. But why? She wondered where they were now, and if that place wasn't safe for them or not prosperous enough.

"I think you'll clean right through the hardwood if you keep rubbing it so hard." Gloin's voice appeared from behind her, almost startling her from her thoughts. She saw Fili follow him along with Oin. Kili was right behind his brother but got distracted by Nori talking to him.

Ash wiped her hands on her pants and let them sit in the chairs around her, Fili standing next to the wall with his ale. "I think you'll find I'm a little ticked at the moment. Apologies." Ash stated, putting her hands on her hips.

"Ah no worries lassie, we understand how protective you are of your caretaker." Gloin nodded to him in the other room.

"Of her baker?" Oin squinted at his brother.

"No you lunatic, caretaker, Master Baggins!" Gloin clarified for him. Oin nodded and smiled holding his trumpet up close.

Ash sighed and smiled a little at that. They remind her of her best friends. Fili spoke this time catching her attention. "Have you ever left the Shire before?"

"No," She answered honestly. "We go out hunting all the time, but never too far from home. Bilbo gets so worried."

"Do you always do as he tells you?" Fili asked with a smile. She narrowed her eyes at him, knowing he was teasing.

"Actually no, but we respect him enough for dealing with us for so long anyway. Besides he's a part of our…family." She almost said 'pack', that would've been awkward to explain. Fili gave her a sideways look, and she tried to hide her face into her dark brown locks.

Gloin and Oin seemed to have gotten into their own discussion over something so Ash has nobody else to talk to, and she knew Fili suspected something strange about her from the start. She wasn't great with keeping up conversations when she was nervous, as with most other people probably.

Fili took his drink of ale and swished it around, "I would think so yes. I've gotten into my fair share of trouble with my brother when we were young lads. Mostly him though, I tried to be reasonable." He took a sip from his drink.

Ash couldn't help but smirk at that, and he looked over and saw her expression. He ended up smiling too, because that was a total lie he told and she knew it.

Back with Dakota, she moved through the rooms, somewhat nodding her head to the random dwarves spread about. Until she came up to the hallway near the living room and saw Bilbo walking down the opposite direction. She was about to go follow when she saw Thorin and Balin having a discussion about the hobbit as well. She stepped aside, hiding from their view, and listened in.

Balin was talking about how it was for the best since clearly the hobbit had no chance of surviving the wilds on his own. Especially with this company of not as skilled warriors. Thorin objected with a little smirk of his own on how there are a few warriors amongst them. Balin said he was old, and Dakota smiled, he looked like he could still handle himself well.

"I would take each and every one of these dwarves over an army from the Iron Hills. For when I called upon them they answered." Thorin said admirably, "Loyalty, honor, a willing heart." He looked at some of the dwarves around him and Dakota hid once more.

"I can ask no more than that."

Dakota leaned over and watched a little bit more as Balin tried to convince him that the quest wasn't necessary, that they had a good home back in the Blue Mountains.

Thorin pulled out his key that he just got from Gandalf at the table, "From my grandfather, to my father, _this_ has come to me." Balin looked at it with a sigh. "They dreamt of the day when the dwarves of Erebor would reclaim their homeland."

Balin looked at his friend of a long time, his eyes something akin to doubt yet admiration shining in them.

"There is no choice Balin. Not for me."

Dakota leaned back and took that in. The honor in this quest was undoubtably clear, and the fact that Thorin was willing to do his ancestors good, as well as his people by taking on a journey, a long one, just so his people can live where they were born to live. It was a small company, but the fire burning in all of them was something Dakota had never felt before, and it made her look at the lousy lot that just barged in and had a feast a bit differently.

**Hi. **

**So, I'm not gonna do A/N as much cause I know you're here for the reading only. BUT, chapters seem long, should I shorten them? I'm planning on updating every day or every other, I'd like to give you some good reading before each update. Let me know what you think so far while you're at it too….pretty please**

**-Pyrite**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**Sorry, me again. I realized I hadn't been spelling Rhea's name right this entire time. I wanted it with an H. Like a noob I didn't see that until now. I'll go back and change the name in the first two chapters. From now on this is how her name is spelled. **

* * *

When Rhea headed back to Bilbo, he was sitting on his bead, resting his head on the wooden pole next to it, pondering over his talk with Gandalf. She frowned at his furrowed brows and concentrated look, he seemed to have been troubled greatly. She went over and sat next to him, he didn't look over at her, but she put a hand on his shoulder. After a moment he took one of his hands and put it over hers laying on it.

She knew this was a big decision for him to make, even though he declined, she could tell it was something pulling on him. It was a longing for the adventure he used to love back as a small boy. They used to run around with him as pups when he found them at a later age, getting dirty and rolling in the grass. He would pretend they were trolls and he had to fight them off with his wooden sword he made with some stick. They loved seeing him laugh at the prospect of fighting evil and danger. But when you grow up, it seemed those things just faded away as if they'll never happen. Now it can, and Bilbo was more afraid than he was excited, which he had every right to be. The Lonely Mountain is much farther than their hunting grounds.

"You think I made the right choice?" Bilbo whispered, looking at the dwarves gathering in the room with the fireplace. Smoke pipes in hand. She followed his gaze.

Then she squeezed his shoulder a little, "I can't say Bilbo, but what I do know is that fear can block out what you truly want from anything. Just because you're afraid, doesn't mean it's wrong."

Bilbo turned to look into her hazel eyes, their bright colors of green, mixed with yellow tint in the middle were mesmerizing. Her words echoing into his mind and pulling on old heartstrings of adventure he thought was long gone.

"I am very afraid, I don't want to leave home." He looked back at the dwarves. Rhea watched them too, nodding in understanding. The dwarves gave off an air of adventure and wilderness, that even she could feel vibrating through her blood. Her wolf instincts itching at the thought of wandering the wilds and coming out of this sheltered space. She of course loved it here, but her wolf inside of her was howling at the moon.

Ash and Dakota walked in just a few seconds later, sitting against the bed on the floor. They all sat there, gazing at the company of dwarves, each one of them embracing their own thoughts of this quest. They all knew how intriguing it was for them, and how honorable it was of them to take on such a journey to reclaim their homeland. They had been through so much together already, and now they follow their King to the other end of Middle-Earth to fight for what is rightfully theirs.

The dwarves started humming, bringing an air of seriousness into the entire room. Their faces somber as they gazed into the fire. Thorin leaned over and started to sing, his deep melodic voice sending shivers down Rhea's spine. When she listened to the words, she was in awe. It was about their homeland and how it got destroyed by the dragon.

_Far over the misty mountains cold  
To dungeons deep and caverns old  
We must away ere break of day  
To find our long-forgotten gold_

_The pines were roaring on the height  
The winds were moaning in the night  
The fire was red, it flaming spread  
The trees like torches blazed with light_

* * *

They all fell asleep in Bilbo's room.

Ash and Dakota were on the floor, while Rhea took the end of the bed, laying flat on her stomach and an arm hanging over the edge. Bilbo was curled up on about three pillows, giving soft breathing noises.

When he woke up and stretched, it took him a few good moments to realize that it was quiet. Way too quiet…

His eyes widened further and he jumped up, causing Rhea to startle and flip over the end of the bed. Landing on Dakota who huffed and shot forward. "Ow! What the heck?"

Rhea grumbled and sat up, scratching her head. "Bilbo what's the matter?" She looked up at him but he was already roaming the house checking every room.

Ash got up from the ruckus and watched them in confusion as they got to their feet. "I can't smell them anymore." Dakota mentioned, looking around. "It's stale like they were just here, but not right now."

Rhea and Ash scrunched their noses at the old stench, "You're right. Think they left about a half hour ago." Rhea confirmed.

Ash looked where the fireplace was snuffed out and felt a little empty inside. It seemed so much bigger in this hole now, and knowing they were out on a big adventure didn't help her longing either. She could tell by the looks of the girls that they were feeling almost the exact same way.

"Hello?" Bilbo's voice rang throughout the mostly empty house. The girls walked over to where his voice echoed and stood behind as he checked around and even up the fireplace. If they could even fit up there?

"They're gone Bilbo, left a good while ago." Dakota answered his silent questions. But the hobbit said nothing, just nodded and stared into the main living room, hands on hips. One could easily tell he had a lot going through his head right now.

"Bilbo? Are you okay?" Rhea asked gently.

He nodded and took a few steps further into the room. The girls exchanged a glance.

When he stopped he looked down and onto the paper on the couch chair. Gandalf must've left it there for him. When he saw it, he looked over at his girls. He could see it from here, their bright wolf eyes shining at the prospect of this adventure. Bilbo knew that if this was going to happen, he would want them by his side. He also knew the dwarves would be more than appreciative on what exactly he brought along to help. He smiled at them, all very loyal, all very protective, and all very _very_ dangerous.

"What are we gonna do today then?" Ash wondered, hand on hip.

Bilbo looked up at them again and sighed.

Barely a short time later, all four of them were sprinting out of the house. Bilbo running ahead with the signed paper of all of them on it flapping into the wind. The girls didn't need backpacks since they don't require much, but they got themselves armed with blades and knives each. Dakota and Ash with their bow and arrows as well strapped to their back. Each of them was wearing their own color of leather clad armor they sewed for themselves when out hunting. They barely ever used them since they shifted almost immediately whenever they did go out at night. But this time they couldn't be as open about it so they ran behind Bilbo, weapons in hand.

"Jeez who knew he could run so fast?!" Rhea breathed, jumping over the fence and sprinted to catch up to him. Ash and Dakota right behind her.

"I've never seen him move so quick even when I threw a perfectly cooked fish towards the open window." Dakota jumped over a hay stack with a huff as she spoke.

Ash and Rhea laughed as they tried to catch up to the more than excited hobbit.

"Come on girls! We need to catch up!" Bilbo waved at them with a smile as they all laughed and ran faster down the hill.

"We're coming we're coming!" Rhea shouted getting just as excited as he was. Bilbo jumped over a giant pumpkin while Ash saw a fun little game. She ran up to it and jumped, tucking her knees in to do a barrel flip over it, landing perfectly on her feet. She laughed at the girls behind her and they followed her move.

The hobbit holding the wheel barrow was still astonished by Bilbo and Ash he didn't even see Rhea come up next and jump placing both her hands on the pumpkin and using her powerful strength, launched herself into the air with a double front flip. Laughing as she landed a bit sideways to catch herself.

Dakota right behind her did a front flip before the pumpkin and then skyrocketed herself over it backwards. Giving the hobbit a bow before running after her friends. The hobbit shook his head disapprovingly.

They all ran and jumped and laughed following Bilbo as he went past the last few hobbits down the hill. "Aye! Mister Bilbo! Where you off to?" One of the neighbors yelled, seeing the hobbit in such a hurry.

"Don't stop! I'm already late!" He panted, the girls whipping past as well, giving him waves.

"Late for what?" He asked yet again even though they clearly had no time to chat.

Rhea jumped into the air and ran backwards a little, "We're going on an adventure!" She told him with a bright smile and another wave.

After they ran up and into the woods, Bilbo was almost just about worn out. The girls were barely panting though, they loved to run. "Which way?" He asked, knowing they could smell their path.

Dakota took the lead, "This way, it's fresh! So close Bilbo!"

They ran just a bit farther until the company was seen on their ponies with Gandalf in the lead. Relieved they finally made it, Bilbo rushed forward on his last breaths.

"Wait! Wait!" He shouted, coming up to where Balin was on his pony. They all stopped and looked over at them. Most of them surprised he came at all. The girls ran up behind him but when he stopped Dakota didn't and basically halted in her tracks so she didn't run into him. Unfortunately Ash didn't have enough time to react and barreled into her, knocking her to the ground. Rhea jumped over them and laughed at their clumsiness.

"Hey! Watch it you lousy oaf!" Dakota snapped, shoving Ash away.

"You watch it!" Ash retorted back.

"No you!"

"Your face!"

"Rhea's face!"

"Hey, I didn't do anything!" Rhea pouted and ran up to Dakota who had already pinned Ash into the ground. They started wrestling each other and growling playfully as Bilbo handed the paper over Balin, who checked it with his spectacles.

The company watched in amusement as the girls ruckus was overheard in the background. Gandalf chuckled at them and was very happy to know Bilbo brought them along. He knew he wouldn't leave them at home anyways. They can be quite the allies. He looked over at Thorin who eyed the hobbit and his girls carefully.

"Everything seems to be in order." Balin spoke out so everyone could hear. "Welcome Master Baggins, and girls, to the company of Thorin Oakenshield." He smiled and winked at them while Bilbo, still flustered that he actually did this, saw his girls profusely wrestling each other still and not even paying attention.

Nervous that they might be looked down upon at their behavior he scolded them, "Girls, keep it together!"

At that they all froze, seeing the entire company watching them. Dakota had Rhea in a headlock while Ash was getting ready to throw Dakota as she picked her up. She dropped her immediately and the two girls cursed at her.

"Eh, sorry." Ash mumbled, rubbing the back of her neck with a cheeky smile.

Thorin turned his pony back around after a small smile watching, and without another glance said, "Give them a pony."

Bilbo refused instantly and began rambling about how uncomfortable he is. During the middle of his speech though, Fili and Kili grabbed him and hauled him onto a pony unwillingly. Bilbo just sat there with the reins upright and awkward.

Then Gloin looked at the girls, "We don't have enough ponies individually, you can hitch a ride with one of us though."

The girls widened their eyes. Wolves, riding ponies.

No thank you.

Ash shook her head, "Uh…actually we're good. We can walk."

"It's a long way lassie." Balin warned.

"Seriously, we don't want a pony. We're fine." Dakota replied tartly, walking up to where Bilbo was struggling.

Fili trotted up next to Ash with a smirk, "You never cease to make things difficult for yourself do you?"

She put her hands on her hips, "What's that supposed to mean? I don't wanna ride a pony, big deal."

"You'll only slow us down." He stated, while Ash glared at him. Like hell they will.

"Fili is right, you're only going to exhaust yourselves." Thorin spoke up from the front. Gandalf turned and looked at them, for he knew they didn't know how to explain why they don't feel comfortable riding a pony. Bilbo was too preoccupied trying to learn how to ride with Dakota right next to him to even help.

He decided now was a good time to break the ice more than ever.

"Are they afraid of ponies?" Ori wondered from the back, looking as innocent as ever.

"Wolves are not comfortable riding ponies Master Ori." Gandalf informed rather bluntly. The entire company went silent as they looked at the girls.

"Wolves? What do you mean wolves?" Bofur called out, his face expressing that of concern. "These are ladies."

"No Bofur, they are not just ladies."

Ash gaped while Rhea not-so-inconspicuously tried to cover her face with her hand. Dakota threw daggers with her eyes at Gandalf. His timing was absolutely impeccable.

"I knew there was something different about them." Thorin growled next to Gandalf so that only he heard. His eyes watched Dakota who narrowed hers in return. When he looked back at Gandalf he looked furious, "We will speak about this at another time."

Gandalf nodded in understanding, but knew they would all come around eventually when they see how useful a pack of wolves could be, especially ones this large in size.

Fili looked down at Ash, in which she avoided his eye contact. He knew it. He knew something in her eyes was brighter than normal. It was wolves eyes. They must be shapeshifters of some sort. He had so many questions but Ash had already walked up towards Bilbo. Rhea, looking thoroughly embarrassed, followed suite.

"Come on, we haven't got all day do we?" Dakota hissed from next to Bilbo's pony.

They started to move on once again, this time the girls stayed close to Bilbo, not wanting intrusive questions to be asked this way and that.

After a bit of walking Oin shouted from the back, "Come on Nori pay up!"

Nori grabbed his satchel and tossed a bag of coin to him. Ash watched the exchange and looked up at Gandalf. Bilbo seemed to have wondered the same thing for he asked, "What's that all about?"

Gandalf glanced at him, "Oh, they took wages."

"On what?" Ash asked curiously.

"On whether or not you'd lot turn up." He answered, giving a small smile down to her. She nodded though, she could see why they doubted in the first place. Heck, she even doubted.

"What did you think Gandalf?" Rhea tested, an eyebrow raised.

"Well…" Gandalf caught a money bag midair. Ash chuckled. "My dear friends, I never doubted you for a second."

Bilbo nodded but then sneezed harshly. Dakota startled, looked up at him with a frown.

"I'm alright- _achoo!_" He wiped his nose.

Dakota groaned, "Don't tell me you're allergic to horses."

"No no, I think it's just the horse hair." He reached around his jacket to find something but his expression changed when he didn't. "Oh, no. Stop! Stop! We have to turn around!"

Thorin up front stopped but turned his head away in an eye roll as he impatiently waited along with the rest of the company.

"What on earth is the matter?" Gandalf mused, staff in hand.

"I forgot my handkerchief." Was all Bilbo stated.

"Oh for crying out loud!" Dakota whined, earning a smack in the stomach from Rhea.

"Here, use this." Bofur ripped a piece of his clothing off and tossed it to Bilbo, who caught it and held it up in front of him with a disgusted look on his face. He leaned up to sniff it and reeled back at the stench. Ash could smell it from here, and she almost laughed.

"Move on." Thorin ordered, and they all continued with their ponies and horse.

Bilbo, not knowing what to say, was pulled along by Dakota who took the ponys' reigns.

Gandalf instructed Bilbo on what there is to expect on such a journey, and what little they had to bring, only the necessities. They were going far from home, much farther than ever before, and they had to be ready for anything.

They travelled over the hills and rocky outcrops of mountain tops, through forests thick with mist and condensation. Ash, Rhea, and Dakota not straying far from Bilbo once. They kept close to him, and without even knowing it was sending much needed comfort to the hobbit, who had passed the furthest he had ever been hours ago.

When they went down yet another small path of the mountain, the rocks crumbled at each step. Falling towards the bottom of the path, a good hundred feet down.

Ash was in her own thoughts about the entire company knowing what they were, she kicked a rock every few feet as they went down.

"Dakota?" She called to her friend in front of her.

"Hm." She answered.

"Do you think Thorin will kick us out and send us home if he doesn't want us here?" She asked honestly, she doesn't wanna leave Bilbo. Or even worse, they'd kick Bilbo too because of them. She started to really worry.

Dakota gave a quick glance behind her at her concerned friend. "No, he can't be that stupid."

"Okay well, what if they put it to a vote?"

"Don't think they have votes like we do. They have a King. Pretty sure it goes like, 'I tell you this and you do'" Dakota mocked the King Under the Mountain with as deep of a voice as she could go.

The imitation made Ash laugh, "I guess you're right."

"Besides, I have a feeling they'll come around. Bilbo did. What's worse than that?"

"Excuse me?" Bilbo overheard them and Dakota tried hiding her smirk, making Ash laugh even more.

"She's teasing Bilbo, she is." She smiled up at him. But all Bilbo did was mumble 'Mhm' before giving a playful look to her to show that he wasn't offended

Suddenly a short shriek was heard from behind and Ash whipped her head around to see Kili's horse had made a slip on the side. It started to lean a bit but Kili tried desperately to balance his pony out, only to no avail. The pony neighed as it's weight began to topple more over to the side of the cliff, while Fili, Ori, Dori, and Gloin could only watch as the tipping became faster.

"Kili!" Fili protested and was a second before jumping off his horse and grabbing Kili's ponies reigns when something flew past all of them.

Rhea jumped to the rescue and grabbed onto the shoulder of the pony, placing her feet dangerously close to the cliff edge. Ash and Dakota bristled where they were standing and was about to move to help when they realized the entire side of the cliff was falling apart. If they added more weight to where Rhea was it'd collapse with Kili and the pony with it.

The front half of the company finally realized what was going on and they all shouted in unison, not being able to help either. Thorin's eyes were wide as all he could do was watch his nephew slowly fall to his doom.

But not while Rhea was there.

As the rocks started to crumble and fall more and more each second, she shifted herself so that she stood directly next to the pony. Fili came up and reached over his own pony to grab onto Kili's forearm. That way if the pony falls, he had his brother, hopefully.

"I've got you!" Fili comforted his brother, holding his grip tight.

"The cliff is crumbling!" Dori shouted, backing his pony up a bit more.

"I _know!_ Give me a second!" Rhea snapped, adjusting herself so that both her feet stood on the most solid parts of the cliff.

When Kili looked down at what she was doing, he felt the pony struggle and whinnied, making it difficult for Rhea to hold it still and push it back up. "We're too heavy! You're going to fall with us! Get yourself clear!"

"Stop talking and lean you lard!" Rhea growled. Kili did as she said with the help of Fili holding onto him.

More rock fell, this time almost like an avalanche as very slowly the pony started moving away from the edge and closer to more stable ground. The company watched astounded as Rhea alone, basically held up the weight of the pony, all it's supplies, and Kili, up and over the edge. Pushing with as much might as she could on the cracked ground.

When Kili looked down at her, she looked up at him, her hazel eyes now starting to _glow_.

With the fire now in them, Rhea heaved the pony and Kili safely to the other side of the path, as the pony stepped sideways to catch itself as well.

Fili took a breath of relief, so did everyone else.

Rhea, now trying to calm herself down and take deep breaths, leaned over and placed her hands on her knees, inhaling deeply. Kili, jumped down from his pony and went up to her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Thank you for saving my life." He tried looking right at her.

When she raised her head her eyes were back to normal, but she managed to give him a smile in return.

"You should be more careful. This isn't a grass road." Thorin's voice bellowed. Clearly annoyed Kili was so reckless to ride so close to the edge.

Dakota threw her arms up at Thorin, "You're welcome?" She gave an incredulous look to him. Thorin ignored it.

Rhea stood up straight and got a few cheers from the dwarves around her. Fili giving his thanks as well, in his own way.

Kili looked at Rhea again and she met his eyes, "You are incredibly strong." He commented.

"We're moving brother…" Fili warned, giving him an impatient look.

Rhea raised a brow at Fili before looking back to his brother. "Yes well, it comes with perks like that. You should also be more careful like your uncle says." She advised.

Kili shrugged, "Probably. Maybe next time." He smirked and she shook her head. He climbed onto his pony again and trotted next to his brother while Rhea jogged back to her friends.

Ash gave her a high five. "You go girl."

"Wolves one, Bilbo zero." Dakota made a zero with her hand and showed it to Rhea who gave her a confused smile along with a laugh from Ash.

Bilbo looked over at that. "What do you mean zero? I don't have zero. This isn't a competition."

"Yes it is. It is now. We won. Pick up your game hobbit." Dakota replied confidently and with a raise of her chin.

"I beg your pardon but I won one by agreeing to come on this quest."

"Nah."

"Yes nah!"

Dakota furrowed her brows at him, "Bilbo that's an oxymoron."

Bilbo huffed, "I know what it is." He raised his chin proudly.

"You just went to negative zero."

"Did not! That's not even a number!"

As the back and forth continued, Rhea looked back over at the now safe Kili and met his eyes.

What a reckless, goofy, strange dwarf.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Once finally making camp, the dwarves got settled into their own bedrolls while Fili and Kili watched over the fire. A couple of them were still up though like Balin and Gandalf too. Thorin was dozing off up against the rocky ledge next to the fire. However, the girls attempted to sleep, they were very exhausted, but to no avail.

The three of them sat crossed legged facing each other as they talked. The light of the moon was cascading onto the outcrop of the mountain they decided to camp on. Usually more awake during the night and sleeping later in the day, the strangeness of the events recently caused them to wake up early and have a long day of travel, ending up being exhausting physically. But mentally, their brains were awake, the wolves in them wanting to run and howl and chase in the night.

"Ugh, this is horrible. My body wants to sleep for two days yet my mind is like wooo." Ash explained poorly her hands going in circles around her head; yet they all felt exactly what she was implying.

"I feel like I wanna go and shift for a bit but knowing Bilbo and the pity look Gandalf is sending us makes it very clear we aren't quite there yet." Dakota mentioned, eyeing the wizard who was smoking his pipe a few feet away. Rhea and Ash took a glance before looking away.

Rhea chucked a rock over the edge, "I want to just do it honestly. Just to defy Gandalf for basically announcing straight away what we were to the entire company. That was so embarrassing."

Ash and Dakota nodded simultaneously, agreeing very much so. "Seriously though, I get why he did it but on the other hand now we're gonna be treated weird." Ash commented as well.

"I'm surprised you even suggested that Rhea, I'm usually the one with the bad ideas." Dakota smiled.

Rhea chucked a rock into her friends leather covered thigh playfully, "Maybe it's because I've felt a little more adventurous today than usual." She answered, reminding them of her little rescue a few hours ago of a twin dwarf. The girls nodded and smiled.

When Rhea looked over at the two twins she actually caught the eye of Bilbo who was getting up from his sleep.

He smiled at her slightly before pulling an apple out of his jacket pocket and giving it to Myrtle his pony. "It's our little secret, you must tell no one. Shh shh."

Rhea smiled at his shyness before riding the pony and now his friendliness with the furry grazer.

There was a rustling and some howling a distance away that made Bilbo and the girls jump around in its direction.

The other dwarves that were awake heard it too, but didn't make a serious move to defend or anything. The girls inconspicuously sniffed the air several times, nothing around.

"What was that?" Bilbo squeaked.

Fili and Kili looked more serious. "Orcs." Kili answered.

"Orcs?!" Bilbo hushed a little too loudly. Thorin basically jumped forward from his light sleep and looked around.

"I can't smell anything. They shouldn't be near…right?" Ash questioned, giving a concerned look to Gandalf. She had never fought an Orc before, but heard of them in some tales told by Bilbo himself. They seemed very dangerous. Even as wolves, they didn't have much experience fighting things, they had no idea what they could take on. Therefore caution was needed when new dangers aroused.

Gandalf gave a comforting look back to her, not saying a word.

"Throat cutters. There'll be dozens of them out there." Fili said ominously, earning a dry look from Ash who didn't appreciate him scaring Bilbo.

He smirked at her knowing full well what he was doing. She growled.

"The lowlands are crawling with them. They strike in the wee small hours when everyone's asleep. Quick and quiet no screams." Kili's eyes got wide. "Just lots of blood."

Bilbo, now looking like he was about to start sweating, turned around and looked out into the dark. While Ash picked up one of the rocks Rhea was throwing earlier and chucked it precisely next to Fili and Kili's heads. They startled sideways and looked over at her.

She made a motion with her hand of biting into their necks and ripping them off.

Kili swallowed while Fili just widened his eyes. A second later he chuckled though, eyes bright.

Suddenly a deep voice interrupted the exchange,

"You think that's funny."

They all looked over at the now very much awake Thorin. "You think a night raid made by orcs is a joke."

Ash crossed her arms and gave the most victorious smile she could ever make over at the blonde twin. He didn't meet her eyes.

Kili looked down in shame, "We didn't mean anything by it."

"No you didn't." Thorin confirmed for him. "You know nothing of the world."

He walked away and to the other side of the clearing, passing by the girls as they stood and watched him go. Thorin's eyes briefly met Dakota's as he passed her, giving a cold look. She narrowed hers in defense.

Whatever they did, or whatever he thought of who they were, clearly did not meet well inside of him. Which looked very bad for the girls if they want to be accepted into this company properly. Bilbo was the burglar, he already had a position. But when wolves are inducted into a new pack, they have to find their ranks within it almost immediately, or they are doomed to be chased out.

"Don't mind him laddie." Balin came up and faced the hobbit, putting his hand up on the rock for balance. "Thorin has more cause than most, to hate orcs."

Fili turned to look at his uncle, eyes sorrowful. Ash looked at him too, wondering what happened to them.

"After the dragon took the Lonely Mountain. King Thror tried to reclaim the ancient Dwarf kingdom, of Moria." Balin continued, while Thorin just stared out into the distance.

Bilbo slowly sat down in front of the fire and tucked his knees into his chest. Feeling a story coming on, the girls tuned in.

Balin told them about Azog the Defiler, how he led the army of orcs against Thorin's grandfather. The battle that ensued for it, all the blood, the struggle. How they were all fighting until the last breath they had.

"The giant, Gundabad Orc, had sworn to wipe out the line of Durin."

Rhea gaped a little at that. An entire bloodline? He swore to wipe out Fili, Kili, and Thorin? Was that all in the line of Durin? This is so much, she didn't know what to think. How could you live knowing such an evil creature was hunting you down and swearing on oaths to kill your entire family line?

Rhea barely remembers her life as a pup before they came into this new world, but she knew enough to not wish death upon an entire family line for revenge. Was it for revenge? She listened to Balin more.

"He started, by beheading the King." Balin choked out a little. Clearly the emotions of losing such a respected King was still fresh. Rhea frowned in sympathy, it looked like they admired this King very much.

Balin said Thorin's father was driven mad by grief and was never seen again after the battle. The army was leaderless and began to flee the fight. Rhea, Ash, and Dakota, now really intrigued by the story, had come a bit closer to listen more.

"That is when, I saw him." Balin, with proud eyes, looked over at Thorin. The twins followed his gaze, so did Bilbo and the girls. Thorin still had his back to them, but his story was being told, and how tragic it has been for his family. There stood the King, his grief and struggle not so apparent on the outside, but now it's known that it's there. It's just hidden with anger.

"A young dwarf Prince, facing down the Pale orc." Balin gazed at him in awe.

Dakota can only imagine losing both men you looked up to for guidance, only to be left alone with an army and a vengeance raging inside of you, looking to end the Pale Orc with fury.

Balin continued, telling how he had fought the Pale Orc, only being left with a broke oaken branch.

"The name makes so much sense now…" Ash whispered over to Rhea, who nodded still watching intently on Balin.

After a struggle fighting, Balin told how Thorin sliced off his arm, leaving the orc bleeding and defenseless.

"Azog the Defiler, learned that day. That the line od Durin, would not be so easily broken." Balin finished. Dakota's eyes grew wide and Rhea's jaw dropped.

"That's incredible." Rhea voiced her amazement. Ash shook her head, not believing it for it seemed so epic.

Balin kept going, speaking of Thorin after his victory over the Pale Orc, how he rallied the army back together and they fought in his name. They battled hard and for the last strength they had, won the fight in the end.

Although there was no feast, and no victory cry, for their dead was beyond the count of grief.

Rhea felt like she almost wanted to cry. That must've be so horrible, fighting a battle so hard only to lose more than you could afford.

"I thought to myself then, there is one that I could follow. There is one, that I could call King." He looked over at Thorin again, this time they all followed his gaze too.

Rhea almost jumped she didn't even realize all the dwarves had gotten up from their sleep during the story. But then again she hadn't realized her and the girls had scrunched up next to Bilbo eagerly looking at Balin for more epic backstory.

Thorin had turned around and looked at all of them, his eyes emotionless but gazing proudly at those who follow him. He stepped down from the edge and came through the line of dwarves.

"And the Pale Orc?" Dakota spoke up next to her, tearing her gaze from the majestic King. "What happened to him?"

Thorin came closer and answered her directly, "He slunk back into the hole whence he came. That filth, died of his wounds long ago."

Dakota watched him walk past, her eyes unreading while Rhea looked over at Gandalf, seeing the exchange between him and Balin. She wondered what that meant.

* * *

The following day, it was raining. Heavily.

Water soaked through the furs and the saddles and the coats. The pipes were dry and all the supplies and dry blankets were getting thoroughly washed through the storm. Dakota was helping Bilbo lead Myrtle again, holding her by the reigns every now and then to guide her. Dakota's boots were covered in wet mud all the way up to the knees, while her body was shivering to the bone from the cold wetness. She would take her wolf fur anytime right now if she could. But annoyingly she had to act normal so the dwarves don't get frightened or more worried about what they brought along with them.

She looked back at her pack mates and saw them looking just as miserable. They both had their hoods on and Rhea kept tripping over hidden logs in the mud, her face twisted in annoyance. Bilbo kept his head down and barely said a word for quite some time, as with the whole company. The weather made it perfect for quiet marching through the forest.

Dakota sighed as she kept pushing through, blinking through the water down her eyelashes every few seconds. When she looked around more she noticed Thorin's pony had slowed down a bit on the side. She wondered if the pony was okay or he was doing that on purpose.

When he was just a bit ahead of her to her right he glanced down at her.

"Does the rain bother you?" His deep voice almost like a soft thunder in the rain.

Dakota looked up at him, confused by the question. "What?"

He apparently didn't like repeating himself and thus, said nothing. She racked her head for a good answer that would satisfy the grumpy King.

"The rain seems to be bothering most of us here Thorin." Was all she replied with.

"I asked if it bothered you. You have your hood down." He this time gave her direct eye contact.

Dakota watched his expression though it revealed nothing. "I like to see all my surroundings at all times." She answered honestly. _He wasn't wearing a hood either…_

"Why does it matter if mine is down?" She asked him a question this time hoping for an answer.

"Because I wasn't sure if wolves could get sick in the rain by not protecting how cold your head can get from it being wet." He looked ahead at the trail in front of them, reigns in one hand.

Dakota rolled her eyes, seeing where this is going now. "Yeah Thorin, I'm fine. But your feign concern is giving me a stomach ache so you can move on."

He glared down at her, but she didn't meet his eyes just looked ahead with resentment of the conversation. She was smart as a whip, being able to pick up on exactly what he was trying to inquire. He didn't want to be slowed down by one of them, they weren't a part of this company to him.

He kicked his horse a little and the pony trotted forward to the front again near Gandalf. Dakota grumbled words to herself in frustration.

Ash saw the whole exchange and sighed. Bilbo had asked Gandalf a few questions about the other wizards in this world, and Gandalf obliged.

A thought came to her mind about something, and she turned around to look at Fili who was keeping his head down with his hood caressing his face.

She turned around and walked back to him, ignoring the glance Rhea gave her before she tripped over yet another log. "For the love of-"

Ash didn't hear the rest as she caught up next to Fili riding behind Balin, who was right behind Bilbo.

Fili's eyes found hers as she walked next to him. He looked like he wanted to say something but it seemed she had something else in mind.

Ash cleared her throat. If they were going to start being accepted here, for Bilbo's sake, they had to get these dwarves comfortable with them. Why she chose Fili out of all of them? She had no idea.

"If you have questions. Just ask them." She said bluntly, looking down at where she was going in the mud.

Fili was silent for a moment. "Why do you sleep on your stomach?"

Ash jerked her head up at him.

Alright clearly this guy wasn't taking her openness seriously. Gloin definitely was the better option.

She turned away with an eyeroll and began to go for Gloin when something grabbed the back of her hoodie and pulled her next to the pony again.

Fili chuckled, "Relax Ash, you said you wanted me to ask them."

Ash fixed her scrunched-up hoodie and glowered at him. "You know which questions I was meaning."

"Aye that I did."

"Don't you want to ask them?" She inquired.

"Not really. Well, not right now. I wanted to ask other questions to get to know you better, is that alright with you?" He looked down at her with a cheeky smirk and Ash opened her mouth and closed it again. She felt a little…flustered at that and she wasn't sure why.

_Keep it together. They just want to know who they invited into their company. Anybody would ask these questions._

She took a breath and nodded. "I sometimes have stomach pains if I eat directly before bed."

Fili raised his brows, actually surprised she answered truthfully. "Really?"

"Yeah. Especially fish."

Fili laughed a small bit at that. Ash wondered what was so funny but didn't voice it out loud.

"Aye can I ask one?" Bofur piped up from behind them both. Clearly hearing the whole thing.

Ash smiled, "Sure Bofur, fire away."

"Do your eyes really glow? Dori said Rhea's eyes glowed when she rescued Kili." He was leaning forward intently. One or two more of them were looking curiously at her too, so she raised her voice a bit so they could all hear.

"Yes, but only when we have overwhelming emotions or physical actions. Like, using our strength for an example in Rhea's case. It's kind of like…hmm" She thought for a second looking out into the forest.

"Magic?" Ori asked in awe.

"Well, um, sure I guess. But it's not anywhere near wizard magic or evil magic. It's our own power." She tried to answer, but had no idea what to call it. She never really had to explain this to anyone. This was more difficult than she thought.

Bofur put his soaked pipe into his mouth even though it wasn't lit. "What about food? Do you eat live meat or…per say dwarves?"

Ash figured they'd want to know if she would eat them. Honestly, if she was starving she very easily could. Would she tell them that? Heck to the no.

"No, we eat animals. Deer and the like Bofur. You can sleep easy now." She looked behind her with a playful smile and Bofur returned it clearly satisfied with the answer. The dwarves asked a few more questions before Fili spoke up again.

"And what about your home?"

Ash furrowed her brows, water coming down off her hood. "My home is with Bilbo."

"No, you're home before Bilbo." He tested, trying to find her gaze through the rain and hood. She seemed deep in thought.

After quite a bit of silence she cleared her throat. "Nothing. That's probably enough questions for today." And with that she jogged up to her friend Rhea once more. Leaving the dwarves behind with confusion. While Fili narrowed his eyes, knowing that there's more to this one then she's letting on, with her straightforwardness and then becoming closed off in a matter of seconds.

Ash didn't look behind her but mentally slapped herself across the head. That answer probably didn't comfort Fili at all and he was one of the closest dwarves to Thorin. She could almost feel his penetrating gaze on her back as he probably pondered how he was going to get more out of her. More than she wanted.

* * *

_To BlueFireWolves-_ **Thank you so much for reading and taking the time to review my chapters. I so appreciate you! :D**

_To Ultidragonlord- _**Yes you would automatically assume they were sisters. Strangely enough they aren't! Later you'll find out how they ended up together in a way from their other world. Also by the end of this book it'd be really weird if they were related, trust me on that one, lul. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing I really appreciate you! ^.^**

**Also, it's late, I had homework. Holy Jesus.**

**-Pyrite**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

At the end of the day, they came across an old broken-down house, with holes in the roof and cracked support on all its sides. The greenery around it was barely growing over so Ash figured it must've been abandoned recently.

Thorin, up in the lead, stopped right before it and turned around to face them all. "We'll camp here for the night."

Ash gave thanks to the Gods, for even though they were fairly capable of walking on foot long distances. These days of travel had worn her muscles out completely, making it more difficult each trek they went on. Her shins were basically on fire.

When she looked over at her companions, they seemed to have relived faces as well. Dakota looked like she was trying to hold in her exhaustion, while Rhea downright plopped onto the dirt.

"Praise the heavens." She closed her eyes and sighed. "I felt like my legs were going to fall off. Are they still alive?"

She proceeded to poke the legs in question while Ash took some things of Myrtle, like the tent and bedrolls. Dakota helped Bilbo down, his thighs obviously sore as he walked sideways and more wider than normal.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to riding for so long…" Bilbo mumbled, face twisted in pain.

Thorin started to give orders out, "Fili, Kili, look after the ponies. Make sure you stay with them." Gandalf had somehow managed to pass all of them and go up to the abandoned house, his brows furrowed in concern.

"A farmer and his family used to live here." He told no one in particular. Ash walked up to him quickly, leaving Bilbo to waddle away to use natures bathroom.

She stood next to the wizard, "Recently?"

Gandalf hummed an agreement. Ash replied with a 'hmm' of her own. Thorin kept up the orders from behind.

"Oin, Gloin." He called.

"Aye?"

"Get a fire going." They both nodded as Thorin started to walk up to the two mumbling to each other.

"Can you smell anything?" Gandalf wondered, looking at Ash expectantly. She took some deep whiffs in the air, opening her mouth slightly. Something thick and heavy, atop of the undergrowth around them. It was faint, but everywhere. The scent smelled richly of burned skin and possibly a type of wood.

Thorin reached them both and studied Ash trying to recognize the scent.

"You can't smell anything that hasn't been here for weeks." He stated, clearly not wanting to wait around for her to smell something that isn't here anymore.

Ash gave him a side glance, rolling her eyes instantly. She turned to face Gandalf, "It smells like firewood, but also something different. I'm taking a guess towards a damp cave. I don't know. I mean if damp caves have a smell…this'll be it."

Gandalf nodded and seemed to ponder over her poor explanation. Ash cringed when she saw Thorin unimpressed, turning to look around the house more. She had to prove to him and the company that they had things to give too.

"Look, I've never smelt this sent before. It's not an animal, but it certainly isn't man." She tried again. Thorin huffed sarcastically,

"That narrows it down a lot."

Ash almost groaned out loud. She _knew_ she wasn't being helpful, he didn't have to annoyingly point it out.

"That's quite alright Ash, I understand." Gandalf gave her a small smile.

"I can tell you one thing, it smells better than a dwarf. That should narrow it down even more." Ash slyly added in, glaring slightly at Thorin from the corner of her eye. He visibly stiffened.

"You should return to Bilbo I'm sure he is missing his pet." Thorin countered with venom. Ash whipped her head around and was about to say something scathing when Gandalf blocked her view. He slowly shook his head and she angrily exhaled with a growl, leaving the wizard and the arse of a King behind quickly.

His pet? His _pet?_

What piece of dung-bag thinks it's okay to call her that? She was nobodies pet. Bilbo was her family, he raised them. They can be just as hobbit and dwarf as the rest of them!

Fuming, Ash walked back to Bilbo, stomping the grass every time she stepped. Rhea noticed right away and was about to ask what was wrong when Fili stopped Ash right in her tracks.

"What's gotten into you? You look ready to rip a head off." Fili joked, standing in Ash's pathway. She raised her eyes to look directly at him, her fists clenched.

"Why don't you ask your bastard of a father and get his opinion? You lot seem to be vying for it on the daily it shouldn't be too hard to get out of him." She snapped, her eyes narrowed. Fili barely flinched back at her words, but he dropped the smirk.

Gandalf at the same time walked away from Thorin, the same furious look on his face. Ash glanced at him before going back to Fili, a dry look now showing on her expression. Proving exactly what kind of mood Thorin was in.

Fili put both hands on his belt, "What did he say to you?"

"Oh, look at you. Trying to set a better example." Ash retorted sharply, walking past him while knocking his shoulder with her own as she did so.

Fili watched her for a brief moment before looking down, shaking his head then just walking away. His expression disbelieving.

Rhea raised her brows as Ash came up to Bilbo and silently grabbed the rest of the supplies and laid them over to camp. Bilbo watched quietly before going after her, knowing she was very hot-tempered right now and needed some comforting. He always did that when they got upset. Except for Dakota. Nobody touches Dakota when she's pissed.

Speaking of her, Rhea saw her friend come up from relieving herself in the woods. Dakota met eyes with Rhea before looking around for Bilbo and Ash. When she saw them talking face to face very privately a little further away, she gave Rhea a glance back with a face of questioning.

"Yeah I've no idea." Rhea answered her silent wonder with a shrug.

"Come on Bombour we're hungry." Thorin bellowed from where he stood alone near the house. The rest of the dwarves walking around everywhere getting things set up and the ponies tied.

Dakota didn't even look at him before walking over to Myrtle and grabbing her reigns. Petting her a little and feeding her an apple like Bilbo likes to do.

Rhea almost startled when she heard rustling next to her, she looked up and saw Kili standing above her. She raised both brows now.

Kili put his hands up with a wary look on his face, "May I ask about the situation or are you going to growl to me to?"

Rhea narrowed her eyes, making the dwarf prince back up a step thinking she was seriously annoyed with him.

Before breaking out a smile a second later. "Ha-ha just kidding. I'm not going to bite your ear off today."

Kili relaxed and smiled at her little joke, coming over to kneel on one knee next to her. "You know what happened?"

Rhea broke a twig she was holding and threw it on the ground lightly, just giving her hands something to do. "No, but your Uncle made Ash and Gandalf angry so he must be feeling like a winner right about now."

Kili sighed, "I am sorry."

Rhea looked over at him. "For what?"

"For whatever he said to Ash. A lot of the dwarves are starting to warm up to you guys, I can tell. I know you have good intentions." He told her honestly, looking right into her eyes. Rhea felt so comfortable looking at him, almost like an invisible warmth. It made her feel calm a bit, she had no idea where this was coming from. Although whatever transpired between Ash and Thorin bothered her. She wondered what he said to offend her so badly. Ash was quick to defend and be short tempered when is comes to the people she cares about only. He must've hit a nerve in that sense.

"Rhea?" Kili's voice interrupted her musing.

She blinked a couple times, "Sorry. Thank you. I want the company to be able to trust us. We can be useful. Your uncle just makes that so much harder with his choice of mood all the time."

Kili nodded in understanding, something going on behind his eyes that Rhea couldn't read.

"It is a bit alarming, Gandalf saying that you were wolves. I'm sure it's not only Thorin that's uneasy about it." Kili said looking over at him.

Rhea paused before asking, "Are you?"

Kili switched his gaze to her. Barely even thinking about it before he replied,

"Of course I am."

Rhea almost frowned visibly, and looked down at the ground.

Kili reached a hand over and squeezed her arm lightly, causing her to look at him again. "But I'm willing to trust you. You saved my life after all." He smiled.

Rhea returned it, "Thank you Kili."

He nodded before watching Dakota come over to him and hand over the reins. He took them from her with a nod and Dakota nodded back. He disappeared down the hill to go tie her up.

"He seems to be cozy with you." Dakota stated when he was out of earshot.

Rhea shrugged, "I think it's a good thing. Maybe if him and a few others start to trust us, things will go much easier for the future. Kili is Thorin's nephew, he's probably a good influencer."

Dakota nodded with a slight shrug, somewhat agreeing. Putting her hands on her hips she watched Ash and Bilbo a little bit more.

Rhea really wanted to be friends with Kili, he seemed already so comfortable with her. She knew it was baby steps first, but his reckless and goofy personality made her want to talk to him more about his life growing up. What kind of influences he had besides his uncle. All the little details friends tell each other. She didn't know why it really mattered, but she liked him. Gloin, Oin, Dori, and Ori were really interesting to talk to as well, she wanted to know more about each of them. They seemed to relax around her a bit more lately too, even though they haven't shared many words together quite yet. Saving Kili put her in some good graces.

After some minutes with Ash, Bilbo returned. She was helping Gloin pick up firewood now, her face serious but a bit more relaxed.

"Well, that was unexpected." Was all Bilbo said, while Dakota and Rhea were staring at him like they were waiting to be thrown a nice juicy piece of meat.

"Sooo, you wanna tell us what that was about?" Rhea dragged, the hobbit not getting the fact that they wanna know what's going on with their best friend.

"Oh, right." He murmured, "But you mustn't do anything rash, it will only makes things worse. Do we have an understanding?"

Rhea nodded, she never wanted to make it worse. On the other hand, Dakota narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Bilbo what did he say to her?"

"Dakota, I know you. I know how you'll react. But Ash needs to handle this one on her own, she needs to be the bigger person if we are all to be accepted here." Bilbo put his hands on his hips, looking stern. Dakota seemed to be having an internal battle with her instincts before finally giving in.

"Fine." She breathed out. Bilbo waited for her to finish with brows raised. Dakota rolled her eyes, "I promise I won't do anything rash. Now what did Thorin say?"

Rhea looked expectantly at the hobbit. Bilbo bit his lip, "He called Ash my pet."

Rhea widened her eyes, totally astounded that the King Under the Mountain could be so inherently rude. Where did that even come from? Did they hate them that much? Rhea's thoughts were going all over the place.

Bilbo could only watch as Rhea began to look more troubled than ever, while Dakota stood still as a statue. As Bilbo observed, her muscles were tensing over and over again. He knew it was taking everything in her not to shift right here and now and go rip Thorin's throat out.

"Why would he say that?" Rhea whispered, her beautiful hazel eyes glimmered, almost as if she felt the pain Ash turned into anger.

"I don't know, but that doesn't matter. Ash admitted to saying something to rile him up a moment before. She needs to be accountable for her words too." Bilbo reasoned with the girls, Rhea nodding somberly while Dakota stared at the ground.

"She's not the one who crossed the line." Dakota hissed.

Bilbo gave her a look to behave but Dakota all but ignored it, per usual.

"That stinking, old hag of a dwarf ever comes near any of you again. I'm not staying silent." She threatened, making Bilbo shake his head profusely and begin to protest. She glared at him, meaning business, and the hobbit knew at this point there was no use in arguing. If she tried anything though, he would still try to stop her, he probably was the only one that could.

* * *

Once darkness overtook the daylight, the food Bombour had made was officially ready to serve. Bofur was giving out rations to everyone out of a big metal stirring pot. The steam coming off the fresh cooked vegetables wavering into the air around the fire.

Ash had stuck around the girls quite tightly, not really mingling with the company much this time. Although she had calmed down a lot since the incident earlier, she knew she really wanted to apologize to Fili. She was quick to insult him and his uncle without even trying to calm down and explain. She felt bad about it, and knew if she wanted good graces, she had to make amends.

Fili was on the horse patrol with Kili, so she was going to have to wait to talk to him until their shift was over or until morning light. She stirred the soup in the bowl she held, thinking harder than she should have about many things.

Thorin, already eaten his dinner, was speaking to Balin away from the fire, both their faces serious. Dwalin was standing nearby as well, listening in.

Ash took a deep breath and waited. Rhea though, nudged her gently. "Just go over and do it."

"My pride is basically choking me. How am I supposed to do this and why do I need to do this?" Ash grumbled, poking at her food again.

Rhea was about to answer but Gloin overheard her complaint. "You are trying to do the right thing lassie. Sometimes it feels wrong to go against your pride."

Ash turned her head to gaze at him, his eyes watching her with understanding. "But that's how you know you're doing something that's better than what your pride offers."

He finished with a wink and Ash nodded with a sigh. Setting her bowl down and getting up to walk over to Thorin.

Rhea gratefully smiled at Gloin as he went back to discuss with Nori sitting near him.

Ash stepped over the tall grass and eventually made it over to where Balin was standing. As she stopped there all three of them looked at her. She didn't even want to try to ask to speak to Thorin privately.

"Thorin." She started. He tilted his head a little, signaling for her to go on. "I wanted to apologize for how I acted towards you. That wasn't right of me to snap the way I did. I know you've got a lot on your mind right now, and you're probably really stressed…"

Dwalin exchanged a look with Thorin but said nothing. Thorin's face expressionless, while Balin smiled a little on the side, encouraging her.

"But I don't want there to be bad blood between us. So I'm here to make amends with you, for the sake of the quest." Ash finished, rolling on her heels a little.

She looked directly at Thorin, his blue eyes curious before slowly nodding once.

"Look at you, being the better man. Should hopefully last long." Dwalin chuckled, but Ash decided to ignore that comment as Thorin clearly gave her the sign that they were good.

As Ash was about to walk away, Balin cleared his throat. She turned to look at him, green eyes bright.

"We would be honored to come to know each other better." He stated, giving her another smile with a twinkle in his eye. Ash nodded, hoping that this helped their position here within the company.

As Ash walked back, she saw Bilbo tapping the wood and looking out into the wilderness as if expecting something. She cocked her head to the side a little and stopped next to him.

"Bilbo? What's the matter?" She asked him.

"He's been a long time." He answered, coming back to where Bofur was pouring more soup.

"Who?" Bofur asked, not even looking at him.

"Gandalf."

"He's a wizard. He does as he chooses." Bofur stated like it wasn't a big deal. However Bilbo seemed quite concerned. Ash wondered if it was because with Gandalf around he felt safer, or more comforted. Sure the girls probably helped but Gandalf was more accepted into the company and therefore could speak for the hobbit if anything goes awry.

"Here, do a favor and take these to the lads." Bofur handed Bilbo two bowls of food while Bilbo stumbled back from the sudden items shoved into him.

Ash was about to offer to do it since she wanted to talk to Fili anyways, but she felt so nervous she ended up saying nothing at all and just watched the hobbit step carefully down the hill.

Sighing, she went over to where Dakota was sharpening her arrows. Looking thoroughly focused. Ash knew Bilbo must've told her and Rhea what Thorin said and was glad that her strong-willed friend here didn't make any moves on him. Well, yet that is.

Dakota must've noticed it was her as she stopped for a second and looked over at her with a look of disappointment on it.

"What? My arrows are already sharpened enough." Ash told her, knowing that's probably not what her friend was going to speak about. But she wanted to lighten the mood anyway, she had already apologized.

"You _apologized_ to him." She growled.

"So? I don't want us making enemies."

Dakota threw one of her arrows into the dirt with an angry thrust, "Damn it Ash, this isn't about being best friends with these dwarves. It's about earning respect from them too."

"How is this any different? I took the high road, I said it first." Ash defended herself.

Dakota huffed, "The high road? You think Thorin is going to just respect you because you said sorry? I bet you on my life that he boosted his ego ten-fold now, thinking to himself that he will always win. Way to freaking go Ash."

Ash turned her body more to her, "That's not the point! He needs to see that we aren't going to challenge his leadership, this is his quest remember? We came here by choice. If we are going to stay and protect Bilbo, we need to show respect before we earn it."

"These dwarves know nothing about respect. All they care about is themselves and the mountain of riches they can't wait to delve into once they get there. Their actions may be noble but their intentions are _not."_ Dakota snapped back, her voice rising.

Ash hushed her and scooted closer, "That is not true and you know it. Don't be so angry with me for doing the right thing. They'll all come around once we show them we didn't come along just to fight every one of them."

Dakota's eyes narrowed before looking away.

"Challenging Thorin is not going to win us points here." Ash added, lowering her voice a bit.

"You know, sometimes leaders need to be challenged. Especially him." She spat, getting her arrows and walking away roughly.

Ash ran a hand through her hair in frustration as she watched her go, knowing deep down what she meant. But right now is not the time to act like this, they could be kicked from this company, or worse, Thorin could order them to kill the girls if they tried to follow behind. She didn't know if he'd go that far really, but she knew that it was a difficult time trying to fit into a new pack of people. Dakota always had it the worst, never truly fitting in.

Meanwhile, Bilbo met up with the brothers, they were standing completely still and just watching the ponies. Concern written on their expressions though. When Bilbo handed them the food they didn't even move.

"What's the matter?" He questioned.

"We're supposed to be looking after the ponies." Was all Kili informed him with. Bilbo assumed he should wait until one of them finished that thought.

"Although we encountered a…slight problem." Fili looked at his brother then back at the ponies again.

"We had 16." Kili added.

"Now there's 14."

Bilbo widened his eyes, and wondered what next could go wrong tonight.

They all stepped down into where all the ponies were tied up and Kili continued, "Daisy and Bungo are missing."

Bilbo didn't really know what else to do in this situation so he blatantly added, "Well that's…not good." He noticed the giant tree that fell over by something crushing it. Something big. "And that is not good at all. Shouldn't we tell Thorin?"

"Ah no, let's not worry him." Fili interrupted, clearly thinking of his uncle's mood already. "As our official burglar we thought, you might want to look into it."

Bilbo watched for a joking smile to come out but Fili just looked at him expectantly. Kili doing the same thing. Bilbo swallowed and tried to think.

"W-Well it looked like something uh, big, uprooted these trees." He started.

"That was our thinking." Kili confirmed.

"Something very big and possibly quite dangerous." Bilbo wondered if they should really tell Thorin that something was nearby that was very large.

A sound came from the right and Fili crouched down, "Hey, there's a light." He motioned for his brother to come. "Over here."

Bilbo still held the food and followed them, careful not to spill any.

"Stay down." Fili ordered.

They all crouched beside the tree log. Looking deeper into the forest. There were voices coming from the light now.

"What is it?" Bilbo asked with worried eyes.

"Trolls." Kili jumped over the log with Fili right behind him. Bilbo followed, still holding the soup. He was terrified, wondering if he should go back and get the girls. If anything could stand up to the trolls besides Gandalf, it'd be them. They never fought a troll before but he was sure they'd give a pretty good tumble.

They all stopped once a massive creature walked past, holding two horses in his grasp. Bilbo figured that giant ugly thing was definitely a troll. He didn't see them though, and Bilbo focused his eyes on which ponies he carried and almost gasped loudly.

"He's got Myrtle and Minty!"

Bilbo now was hoping to do anything he can for the gentle pony he had come to bond with. "I think they're going to eat them we have to do something."

Both Kili and Fili looked over at him, eyes wide. An idea running through both their heads simultaneously. "Yes, you should." Kili nodded.

Bilbo shook his head back frantically. Not him, this was a horrible idea, absolutely not. He couldn't do anything against trolls!

"Mountain trolls are slow and stupid and you're so small they'll never see you." Kili encouraged, Bilbo wagging his finger at him trying to interrupt.

Kili kept going, "It's perfectly safe we'll be right behind you."

Bilbo wasn't sure if he should believe that.

"If you run into trouble, hoot twice like a barn owl, once like a brown owl." Fili pushed Bilbo ahead, grabbing the food at last. Bilbo stumbled forward a bit as he tried repeating his safe words.

When he was about to question the whole idea he turned around and realized that indeed, the brothers were gone.

When Fili and Kili sped walked back to camp they almost crashed into someone a few feet away. A hand was placed on Kili's chest to halt him in his tracks.

Hazel eyes bore into him and Kili stiffened. "What're you doing?" She inquired suspiciously.

"Need to get Thorin, right now." Fili rushed, continuing forward while Kili stayed where he was at. Rhea looked around them more and realization hit her.

"Where's Bilbo?"

"Scouting ahead on a group of trolls. He's fine, we're getting help." Kili tried reasoning when he noticed her expression, giving an innocent smile.

She took the hand off his chest and whacked him upside the head.

* * *

**Remember when I said I wasn't going to do A/N as much? hahahah I lied. Apparently.**

**But I like answering your guys' reviews and giving appreciation for reading. It means a lot truly, the fav/follows I've gotten so far. Thank you 3**

_To warriors fan eaten by a wolf: _**Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! I love that you told me your favorite part that makes me smile :D**

_To Ultidragonlord: _**Thanks for the review! Also I hope you're not too worried, it's not that bad I swear, I just preferred them not being related :)**

**Also this chapter took me an extra day, I am sorry. I had to rewrite a couple scenes, like twice. I was up until 2am fixing them this morning, it was bothering me so much. I still plan on updating daily, but sometimes it'll be every other day, so don't worry. I am hoping this chapter came out alright, what do you think?**

**-Pyrite**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Running back to camp the brothers instantly told the company what was going on, while Rhea went to where she saw Dakota last, but alas she wasn't anywhere around there. Rhea faintly could smell her scent and it trailed into the forest ahead. Ash's voice caused her to whip her head around.

"She went to take a walk." She confirmed, walking up to Rhea. When she noticed her friends urgency, along with the rest of the dwarves grabbing their weapons suddenly and moving out, she furrowed her brows in concern. "What's going on?"

"Well besides wanting to basically murder Kili and Fili for putting Bilbo on a little mission to save the missing ponies, we found trolls." Rhea deadpanned. Ash's green eyes started blazing immediately.

"He what?!"

"Trust me, I smacked Kili good." Rhea huffed.

"Bilbo shouldn't be by himself with a bunch of trolls! What were they thinking?" Ash ran a hand through her thick brown locks and scrunched it up a bit.

The dwarves had all but disappeared into the woods, and Rhea realized they'd better catch up and worry about where Dakota was later. "We need to save him."

Ash bolted away after the company, throwing her words over her shoulder, "You're damn right we do. Let's go!"

Rhea ran after her, worry clouding her mind. After only a few days travel Bilbo was already in the greatest of danger and the girls were no where near to protect him. Conveniently neither was Gandalf.

As they caught up to the dwarves rather easily, they all slowed to a crouch, creeping through the night forest towards the campfire light. The voices were raspy and bellowed words Rhea couldn't quite understand. But as they got closer with each step, it became more clear they were talking amongst themselves about food and cooking and things tasting like fish.

When the girls brought up the rear of the company, a twig snapped nearby.

Dwalin spun around and hissed, "Will you be _silent?"_

"That wasn't us! Quit blaming everyone but yourself for your clumsy, big feet." Ash retorted in a hushed voice. Rhea shook her head at both of them as Dwalin turned back around with a scowl on his face. Thorin told them both to shut it from up front.

Rhea realized that the trolls seemed to be upset at something and frantically moved around an object one of them had picked up. Rhea couldn't see it well with the shadows the fire was casting, until her blood froze at the voice of Bilbo.

Ash stiffened next to her as the trolls now obviously held up Bilbo, his entire body covered in some kind of goo. They were becoming angry with him and all the little hobbit could do was hang there and try to speak reason.

Rhea felt her wolf inside of her begin to itch furiously. Her body temperature was rising, and by the feeling of the humidity between her and Ash very suddenly, she knew her friend was about to shift too. But with all strength they had, they held it in. Which became increasingly difficult by the minute they waited here.

Nori and Gloin just in front of them must've felt something as they both turned around slowly to get a look at the girls. In which the girls were breathing heavily, their fists clenched. Not only that, both of their eyes were glowing _very_ brightly. Nobody needed a hint to realize they were barely holding onto their fury.

The two dwarves exchanged a glance before looking over at Dwalin, who curiously looked over to what their expressions gave way to. His eyes widened and he gripped his hammer a little tighter.

Kili ran up ahead of the company without saying a word, jumping out of the bushes and slashing the nearest troll with his sword. He sliced its foot twice, causing the lug to drop in pain. Kili's battle cry made the company move a little closer.

Rhea shook her head, what was he doing? Now he's facing three trolls by himself? She wondered if Kili thought he could take anything head on if he shouted loud enough.

_What a reckless move! They could kill Bilbo instantly if only one Dwarf challenged them._

Rhea squeezed the handles of her twin blades, waiting for what was going to happen. She writhed in her own skin just looking at the troll holding Bilbo upside down.

"Drop him!" Kili roared, swishing his sword around and walked forward to face them.

"You wha'?" One of the trolls challenged, his face incredulous.

A dagger came flying out of the trees, whizzing past Kili and up into the arm of the troll holding Bilbo. Sticking itself deep, the troll almost dropped Bilbo, but it hung onto him stubbornly. Although it grabbed hold of it's forearm and shouted in pain, apparently hurting too much to pull it out just yet.

Rhea, obviously unable to contain herself any longer, came running out of the trees, her swords at her fingertips. Her hazel eyes were almost a bright yellow, looking like a ring of fire as she glared at the three trolls standing before her.

"He said, drop him." She growled through gritted teeth.

The troll, now angry from his wound, tossed Bilbo into the air and right on top of Kili, who ungracefully caught him. From the impact the both rolled onto the ground.

A second after, the company of dwarves burst through the hidden undergrowth and attacked the trolls with much ferocity. All of them contributing to whacking, slicing, and hammering the trolls this way and that. Ash was going to follow through with them but stopped right at Bilbo and helped him to his feet.

Kili ran towards the trolls and started fighting them too, while Rhea went over to Ash and Bilbo.

"I'm sorry Bilbo! We weren't with you. I should've gone with you, I knew I should've." Ash apologized, looking absolutely distraught. Rhea was about to say something too when Bilbo hushed them both.

"Girls! Not right now! Go help them. I need to get through to get to the ponies and set them free." He ordered, looking out into the fight going on. Oin whacked the side of one trolls head while Nori cut through his hip skin on the other side.

"I'll go with you." Rhea offered, and Bilbo nodded with relief a little on his face. But his expression was determined and Rhea knew he was ready for anything. Before they went through the mass of fighting Rhea looked at Ash, both their eyes still burning brightly.

"Ash." Rhea said, ready to say something.

Ash's green eyes focused on her briefly.

"Aim for the eyes." Rhea smirked, and Ash nodded, pulling her bow and knocking an arrow quick as a flash.

Bilbo ran straight into the middle of it, while Rhea kept up right behind him. Dodging weapons swinging this way and that. Then yanking on Bilbo once before Dwalin's hammer came smacking him into oblivion. Bilbo kept his eyes right on the sword across the clearing, while Rhea crossed both her swords over her head and cut an 'X' on a trolls hand that was coming down onto the hobbit, sending the ugly thing reeling back in pain.

Kili rushed forwards and slid underneath its giant clumsy feet, slicing his sword beneath the trolls leg and making him stumble back even more. As the troll bounced back to grab him, Kili stuck his sword right in his gullet, pushing it in as far as it could go before the troll hunched over in pain. Gloin adding his own attack standing next to Kili, and while the troll fell to his knees, Dwalin finished him with a hammer in the face. Teeth coming flying out.

Bilbo finds the sword and starts to cut the rope, Rhea standing right in front of him, watching everything around him. Nori gets picked up by his weapon, but proceeds to kick the troll in the face while Ori slingshots a rock into his face. Seemingly doing nothing bigger in effect, almost perfectly on time an arrow zooms out of the sky and into his eye directly.

Dropping Nori, the troll holds his bleeding eye with the palm of his hand while Ash on the outskirts remained safe and untouchable. Tucking and rolling from a falling troll, she knocks another arrow and fires at another one of their heads. However, one of the trolls grabbed onto Ori as he ran away. Ori's legs running still as he tried to pry himself free.

Almost in sync, Dwalin offered his back after jumping from the other end of the firepit. Thorin taking the boost, uses him to propel himself into the air and slashes the trolls arm to release Ori. Catching himself gracefully, Thorin goes back to attacking from all sides.

The trolls start kicking and thrashing the dwarves around even more so, as the company pressed on, fighting profusely and getting back onto their feet.

When one of the trolls noticed Ash on the sidelines giving away weak points with her arrows, they lunged for her. Dodging skillfully, Ash rolled away and onto one of the rocks nearby. She shot an arrow and it cut the end of his ear as it flew past. Panicking a little as her aim was rushed, Ash couldn't focus on where she was firing. The troll, now being chased by some other dwarves, still came after Ash, crawling and falling onto his face.

Ash tripped backwards as the rocks she was jumping on ended abruptly, and she landed on her back. The troll, too quickly got up and grabbed her leg, dragging her backwards.

"Hey! Let go of me you ugly bastard!" Ash kicked his hand and tried to grab onto something but there was only dirt under her as she slid to the trolls grimy teeth.

Something grabbed tightly onto her arm and she looked up to see Ori and Nori holding her back, or trying to at least. They were sliding too as the troll opened up his mouth and pulled her in closer.

"Ash!" Fili shouted, running over and slashing the trolls thick hide. But no avail as the troll, now only angrier, shoved Ash into his mouth quickly. But with whatever strength Ash had, she used to push the roof of his mouth upwards, her bow being used as placement as she crouched on his filthy tongue.

"Hang on Ash!"

The dwarves tried everything to get him to release her but nothing was working as the other two trolls kept them busy so often.

As Ash's arms were weakening, something huge exploded from the darkness, its body gliding into the air and slamming into the troll with Ash.

Flying out of his mouth, Ash gasped and rolled onto her feet, catching herself. She looked up to see a giant beast had grabbed a thick grip onto the troll, it's fangs embedded deeply into the back of his neck.

"What in Durin's name is that?!" Dwalin shouted, his hammer just coming from smashing one of the other trolls feet.

"It's a monster! Let's get out of here!" Dori scrambled backwards with a few members following suit.

The troll thrashed this way and that, trying desperately to remove the animal on its back. It's massive size though was enough to keep him struggling to stand up straight.

Having had enough, one of the other trolls grabbed the scruff of the animal and ripped it away, leaving deep skin wounds on the severely injured troll. Only being tossed away slightly, the beast stood up straight and snarled directly at the trolls. It's mouth stained with blood, sharp fangs hanging from it's gums. It's mixed brown fur almost blending in with the firelight it almost seemed like a ghost.

"Bilbo!" Rhea's scream was heard from behind as one of the trolls put his foot down on her as he grabbed onto the hobbit. The other troll, quick to respond, grabbed the other half of him and they pulled tightly. Rhea frantically pushed onto his foot that was basically squishing her but nothing was working. She tried using her strength but her position made it difficult to get a good grip.

"Lay down your arms!" One of the trolls demanded. Ash watched her friend cry out in pain as it was getting harder to breath. She couldn't stand it, she looked over at Thorin hoping he'd do something.

The creature across the clearing even stopped, but still snarled ferociously. The dwarves, looking uneasy about both of them going after the company, gathered up into a circle behind their king.

"Lay them down or we'll rip his off!"

Thorin glared at him for a moment, before piercing his blade into the dirt. Ash widened her eyes, surprised he'd actually surrender for Rhea and Bilbo of all people. She slowly lowered her bow to the ground and unhooked her sword too.

"This thing with you too?!" One of the dumber trolls shrieked, holding onto the back of his bleeding neck, warily glancing over at the beast.

Thorin said nothing, for he probably didn't know. So Ash nodded to the animal and it growled, slowly taking a few paw steps back.

She caught Fili's eyes from across the group and he narrowed them in curiosity. Ash looked away, she'll have to explain later if they all don't get eaten before then.

The trolls grabbed them all and put them in sacks, tying up a good five or six to a wooden stick and turning them over the fire like a slow roast. The trolls were talking amongst themselves about how they should be cooked. While the dwarves tried scooting out of their sacks and Thorin was even trying to undue the rope with his teeth. They used more rope to tie up the animal to a tree, wrapping its neck and snout several times to make sure it didn't get away or bite them.

Rhea, still sore from being squashed by troll feet, couldn't even wriggle out of her sack if she wanted to. It felt like her ribs were aching every time she inhaled. She was sure she broke something, but as hoping it was just sore from the immense weight put on it. From under the sack, she tried to wrap her arms around her ribcage in hopes to feel around it a little, maybe get a sense of how bad the pain was. When she put pressure, she squealed. Ash whipped her head around to her friend and put on a look of worry to her. Rhea tried giving her a comforting smile but her struggle to breath caused her to tense again.

"Rhea, are you okay?" Kili's voice came from close by and Rhea turned to look at him.

"Yeah, don't worry. I'll be healed in no time, just sore is all." She attempted to reassure the worried looking dwarf, but his expression didn't change.

"Can you breathe?" He asked, still having concern in his voice.

Rhea shifted a little so she wasn't laying on anything that would hurt her more. "Enough to stay alive." She panted, short breaths only able to come out without her almost gasping from the pain. Kili kept his eyes on her as the trolls scolded them all to shut up. One of them then continued to talk about adding some sage for the seasoning.

"Well hurry up and get some. We haven't got all night. I don't fancy being turned to stone." The troll snorted, turning the dwarves again over the fire.

That's when Bilbo piped up from where he was sitting, his expression determined. Ash has seen that face more often now, and she was beginning to like this side of him.

"Wait!" He shouted, causing all three trolls to stare at him in shock. "You are making, a terrible mistake."

"You can't reason with him!" Dori cried, turning over the fire. "They're half-wits!"

"Half-wits? Then what does that make us?" Bofur added, very unhelpfully. The trolls laughed.

"No, no. I meant with the seasoning." Bilbo finally finished. Ash now wondered if she should take back her thought of liking this side of him. Thorin was looking at him like he probably regretted surrendering for this hobbit.

"What about the seasoning?" One of the trolls leaned down, somewhat interested.

"Well have you smelt them? You're going to need something stronger than sage before you plate this lot up!"

The dwarves instantly protested, Thorin shouting 'traitor!' throughout all the commotion. Ash and Rhea remained quiet, mostly because Rhea was in pain while Ash was confused on what in the world Bilbo was up to.

"What do you know about cooking dwarf?" The other troll rhetorically asked.

"Seriously Bilbo, what do you know?" Ash questioned warily from behind him. Bilbo slightly turned to look at her with a face that said _'shush'_. Ash cocked a brow.

"Let him talk!" The first troll demanded.

Bilbo nodded to him gratefully, "The secret to cooking dwarf is um…"

"Yes?"

"Is uh…"

"Yes what is it?"

"To uh…skin them first!" Bilbo finished proudly. Ash wanted to slam her head into the rock. Bilbo glanced to look at them behind him and met Ash's eyes. She made a face at him saying, _'really?'._

"Tom, get me filleting knife." The first dwarf ordered.

The Tom troll shook his head in disbelief as all the dwarves started clamoring and protesting even louder now. Bilbo beginning to look a little annoyed with them for once, trying to keep his cool. Dwalin pointed angrily at him from the firepit while Gloin cursed at him.

"What a load of rubbish! I've eaten plenty with their skins on." Tom argued.

Suddenly, Ash saw the animal from behind him perk its ears up, nose slightly into the air. She sniffed the air too but was way too close to the dwarves and fire to be able to pick out any unique scents. She wondered what it was.

Bilbo saw something too and got momentarily distracted. One of the trolls picked up a dwarf and was about to swallow him whole.

"N-Not that one! He's infected!" Bilbo rushed out, clearly making it up on the spot. Ash now realized what he was doing and his weird actions made so much more sense now. She nodded and smiled to herself while Oin looked over at her like she was some alien.

"You wha'?" Tom stopped turning the dwarves.

"Yeah he's got worms…in his…tubes."

The troll dropped Bombour immediately. Well that worked.

"In fact they're all infected with some sort of parasites. I wouldn't risk it, I really wouldn't." Bilbo made a sour face, trying to convince them.

"Parasites? Did he say parasites?" Oin questioned, clearly not able to hear anything at all without his ear trumpet. Kili, who he was talking to nodded in confirmation,

"Yeah we don't have parasites you have parasites!" Kili objected, hot headed and defensive over the hobbits recent motives.

Bilbo rolled his eyes, dwarves can be so dull sometimes….

Thorin, becoming increasingly smarter than the rest of them, finally picked up on what the little hobbit was up to. He kicked his nephew and Oin and they froze, looking at him before looking back at Bilbo.

"I've…got parasites as big as my arm." Oin affirmed, eyes wide.

"Yeah mine are the biggest parasites I've got huge parasites!" Kili added with more enthusiasm. Rhea almost laughed at his sudden change in behavior if it weren't for the situation they were in.

"What should you have us do then? Let them all go?!" Tom poked his fat finger into Bilbo, almost knocking him over. "You think I don't know what you're up to! This little ferret, is taking us for fools!"

Bilbo scrunched his nose, "Ferret?"

"Fools." Tom clarified that other word for no apparent reason.

"The dawn will take you all!"

Gandalf appeared from above them, standing on the rock staff in hand. Ash had never felt so relieved in her life, she closed her eyes and thanked whatever gods there were.

"Who's that?" The trolls, looking unfazed asked.

"Can we eat him too?"

Gandalf threw the end of his staff down upon the rock and it split the entire form in half. Daylight spilling into the clearing and right onto the trolls. Their skin began to crumble and dry in seconds, turning a light gray as they slowly but surely formed into stone statues. Then that was that.

There was a moment of silence, then cheers from all the dwarves as they realized they were rescued and safe. Ash put her head back onto the rock and sighed. Even Rhea smiled to herself, glad the monstrosities were finally gone. In a way.

Thorin smiled up at Gandalf, his blue eyes bright and relieved as well.

"Oh get your foot out of my back!" Dwalin grumbled from where the other half of the dwarves still laid tied up to the wood. Ash couldn't help but laugh at that.

As Gandalf helped them unbag themselves they began to put all their clothing back on once more. Ash picking up her boots from the side and putting them on While Rhea sat down on one of the rocks once she finished.

Gandalf walked around to make sure everybody was okay, then realized the animal was still tied up a bit away from the doused campfire. The company all but stopped and watched as Ash got up from where she sat and headed over to it.

Gloin grabbed her arm, "Don't lassie! That thing is dangerous." A couple of them nodded in fear behind him. Ash gave them a reassuring smile and placed a hand on top of Gloin's. She had to get them unafraid. This was apart of her too, and she didn't want them to be scared of her when they saw her like this too.

Ash glanced over to Rhea, who now had Kili by her side kneeling in close. She nodded to her friend who returned it before going over to untie the animal.

"What are you doing? That animal could've killed us all." Thorin bellowed, stepping to the front of them.

"That _thing_, is a part of this company." Ash quipped back. "And saved my life."

She stepped through the grass and up to the giant wolf, it towered over her by a few good feet.

Some of the company had taken light steps forward, becoming more curious than ever. While Thorin stayed put and watched as slowly Ash untied the massive wolf. It shook itself lightly before looking down at Ash, showing no signs of aggression.

"Where did you go to if I may ask?" Thorin directed at Gandalf standing next to him.

"To look ahead." Was all Gandalf stated.

"What brought you back?" Thorin looked back at him.

"Looking behind." Gandalf smiled, Thorin giving a small nod and smile in return, still grateful they were saved from that. "Also Dakota might have sensed the danger when she found me."

The last part had Thorin confused, now wondering where the third girl had gone. He looked around, but nothing. She wasn't even in the battle.

But then something clicked inside of Thorin's mind. Gandalf said the girls were…

No, it couldn't be?

Gandalf gave him a chuckle as his face contorted into something of an understanding and realization coming together on Thorin's expression.

"That's not possible…" Thorin began before gazing at the brown wolf ahead of them.

Balin stood next to him. "We sure didn't see this one coming." He shook his head as they both stared.

Ash looked up at the wolf who looked down at her. "Thank you my friend." She said, putting a hand on the wolf's cheek for a brief moment.

When she turned around the wolf raised it's head and looked directly at Thorin, its familiar silver eyes unblinking as they all realized who was standing as a massive wolf right in front of them.

None other than Dakota herself.

Rhea watched as they all stood in awe of her friend, but she thinks most of it is fear. She could smell it from here. But then again a lot of it was coming from Kili too and she wondered if he was afraid of her now.

She looked over at him as his eyes were wide, looking out at Dakota in wolf form. Her dark brown tortoiseshell fur, went from her eyes down her back to her tail, while the rest of her body faded into a lighter brown, like caramel.

Kili then must've noticed Rhea looking at him for he turned to her. "Are you okay?" He asked for the fourth time.

"Are you afraid?" She blurted, not wanting to sound nervous of his answer or anything. He's not the only one that she should worry about. But something about Kili made it matter more to her.

His dark warm eyes softened a little at her tone, "Rhea I'm not afraid. Not anymore."

"Well it's just it's size its not like we eat dwarves or bite throats out just cause- wait what?" Rhea rambled not even realizing his answer.

Kili chuckled a little, "I am actually glad Dakota showed her true form with us. I finally get to see how big you guys are."

Rhea wasn't sure to laugh or smile or say something witty. She rolled the options in her head like dice.

"I uh…I don't know what to say except I really hope you're not afraid of me." She swallowed, her ribs still hurting from breathing too big.

"No, I am not." Kili confirmed, looking right into her eyes. "I know you won't hurt me."

Rhea smiled, making Kili smile more. Until she took a breath to say something and hunched over. Kili held her shoulder with one hand, and her forearm with the other. Worry etched on his face.

"Oin! Rhea is hurt bad." He called the dwarf over, who obliged and walked over. Bombour and Bifur right next to him.

Oin, even after seeing Dakota, gently kneeled in front of her. She noticed he hesitated a bit to touch her. Rhea wanted to help them feel better about what she is and smiled softly.

"I won't hurt you." She assured, looking right at his eyes.

Oin nodded and smiled a little, coming up closer and touching her ribcage a bit. Kili held onto her tightly still. Fear coming from him as well, even though he said he wasn't afraid. But she didn't dwell on that as Oin hit a sensitive spot on her side and she gasped. Her arm shot out and grabbed Oin's forearm fiercely.

Bifur, thinking that was an attack, grabbed his axe and started threatening while Bombour tried to relax him a bit again. Rhea released Oin who flinched badly, and apologized. He seemed to have understood her reaction.

"It's just bruised it seems, it will heal." He stood up and brushed himself off. "I'll get something to help numb it a bit."

Rhea nodded while Kili thanked him. Dakota trotted off to probably go shift back while Ash talked with Gloin and some others.

Thorin and Gandalf appeared in front of her. She looked up at them both expectantly but Thorin was watching Kili who was watching Rhea.

"Is she alright?" Thorin asked, surprising them all.

"Oin says it's bruised." Kili answered him, looking over at him. "He's going to get something to help."

"That was a lot of weight you endured." Thorin spoke once more. Rhea just gazed at him, wondering why he's being so calm after what he just saw. "You truly have a tough build inside and out don't you three?"

Rhea could've sworn she saw him tweak a little smile after that, and she quirked her mouth up a little too. It was nice to be complimented in such a way.

Kili watched her as she took faint breaths, waiting for Oin to come back. When he did, Bilbo showed up beside him and they all walked away. Kili unknowingly staring until Rhea looked back over her shoulder at him, her hazel eyes reflecting the morning sun perfectly.

"You're drooling brother, honestly." Fili teased dryly next to him. Kili turned around and punched him in the shoulder.

"Shut up."

* * *

**Please leave a review if you can ^.^**

**Also, thought long and hard about whether or not people in Middle-Earth know what caramel is. So I basically said fuck it and now it's staying in there. You're welcome.**

**-Pyrite**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

As Rhea started to feel much better after Oin put some ointment on all over her stomach and back, Dakota had returned from the woods, bow in hand.

Ash went up to her and exchanged some words before they both came over to Rhea to check on her. "How are you doing?" Dakota asked, her grey eyes concerned.

"Much better, Oin really knows his stuff." Rhea poked around her stomach a little bit to test it, satisfied with no pain coming from it.

"It's just bruised Oin said. But you girls are lucky your made from stuff tougher than iron. That weight could've crushed any one of us in an instant." Bilbo came up to Rhea with some water in a leaf and gently gave it to her.

Rhea, who knew she was more than capable of getting her own water, smiled gratefully at his kindness and took a few sips from the cold liquid, emptying the leaf in seconds.

"So…." Dakota began, scratching the back of her neck. "How did they take it?"

Bilbo sighed while Rhea bit her lip. They all knew it wasn't well. Besides Kili, she can't think of any of them that wasn't afraid. Even now as they four of them were together, the company of dwarves had given them much space in between, making sure they were a safe distance away. She could practically hear Dwalin telling Balin that they shouldn't have even come on the quest, they had enough to worry about.

Rhea looked down, not wanting to see Balin's reaction. Only because she knew Dwalin had every reason to doubt them. They were wild animals in their eyes, unpredictable, and dangerous.

"That bad huh?" Dakota dropped her hand while her face made one of regret. "I wasn't expecting to show them my form that soon. But when I heard the commotion and smelled something awful, I just knew I didn't have time to think."

Ash shook her head, crossing her arms, "Doesn't matter now. But in the end you did stop a troll from eating me, and from the looks of it, swords and arrows weren't doing a thing."

Bilbo and Rhea nodded, agreeing on that. The power of their wolf was the only one strong enough to have taken on a troll.

"You're right but still. They were just starting to get comfortable…" Dakota frowned and looked around seeing them all whispering to each other. She already was having a difficult time being nice to them, now it felt like getting along seemed impossible.

Dakota's ears perked up slightly at Thorin's voice, whom was turned away from her and speaking to Gandalf. When Gandalf said something, Thorin looked around his blue eyes curious. "There must be a cave troll nearby."

_A what now?_

"Did you hear that?" She asked her companions. Bilbo stood up and looked where she was.

"No, wasn't focusing. What is it?" Ash turned her head around to look everywhere.

Thorin called out for a few of the dwarves to accompany him, and Dakota knew she didn't want to miss this, so she jogged away and towards the small party heading downhill.

Gandalf was in the lead while Bofur, Gloin, Nori, and Dwalin followed directly behind. Dakota caught up to them and silently trailed behind, hoping they didn't question why she was coming along too.

Ash and Rhea stayed put though, making sure to stay near Bilbo this time. Already feeling bad enough for leaving him alone like before.

Sitting down next to Bilbo with a sigh, they waited for the party to finish whatever they were doing. When she looked around, she saw Fili packing all his blades and daggers into his clothes. There were so many hiding spots he put them in, Ash wondered if he was planning on taking out an entire army just with daggers. She cocked her head to the side as he finally finished and turned his head to meet her eyes on the other side of the clearing.

They were unreadable, and Ash knew he probably thought she was a beast of an animal and decided not to get near her again. Ash didn't care though, she could gain the trust of the other dwarves eventually, for as long as the majority accepts her, she would feel much better about fitting in. Not that it was her life's mission to be accepted by dwarves, but they had a long journey ahead of them, and if they ended up being voted out due to not being trusted, they would leave Bilbo all alone. Something none of the girls were willing to let happen.

Their eye contact was brief as Fili narrowed his slightly, before looking away and going over to speak to Balin. Ash rolled her eyes, for of course he wouldn't be as accepting as Kili was, he seemed to have Thorin's behavioral instinct in that department.

Meanwhile back at the party of dwarves that left, Gandalf had located the so-called troll cave dug into the ground. Mud slicked the sides of the walls and flies buzzed everywhere, the stench of the place wafting like a breeze right into all their faces.

Dakota instantly coughed along with the others, her brain sending warning signals all over the place as her senses became too overwhelmed with the rising stink. She covered her mouth with her leather sleeve and stepped lightly down into the dampness. Dwalin pausing right before the riches laid out before them.

"Be careful what you touch." Gandalf warned, going further down, Thorin right behind him, his own arm covering his nose as he coughed.

Bofur and Gloin immediately discovered the gold coins scattered all over the floor, "Seems a shame just to leave it lying around…" Bofur started, glancing over at Gloin.

"Anyone could take it."

Gloin, with the same idea, stared back at him, "Agreed. Nori?"

Nori turned to him from holding some gold cups, "Yeah?"

"Get a shovel."

Dakota huffed and walked past Dwalin, going to examine some of the riches herself. But the dwarf must've felt the need to antagonize her knowing now that she followed them. "Aye you don't need a shovel, you got a dog here that can do it for you."

Dakota stopped and tilted her head back in irritation, knowing this is exactly what was coming after her shifting fiasco.

Thorin, hearing this, turned around with the torch in hand, blue eyes curious.

Dakota shifted her gaze to Dwalin who stood there arrogantly using his hammer as a leaning stand. "Stop calling us that."

Dwalin made a _'pfft'_ sound and looked away. Dakota's expression changed to a more defensive one. "It's not like it isn't true." He added.

Gandalf opened his mouth to say something but Dwalin continued, "You turn into _monsters_. How are we to ever trust you? Why are you even here dog?"

Thorin's eyes switched from Dwalin to Dakota. Her expression now suddenly that of disinterest.

"You ever call me a dog again, I'll personally rip your balls off with my teeth while you sleep. You can trust me on that one." Dakota rebutted, crossing her arms over her chest.

Dwalin stood up a little straighter, his eyes hard.

Dakota, figuring she made her point, walked down to where some weapons were laying against each other. She tried holding her tongue but she can't do that as easily as Ash and Rhea, so she was temporarily jealous of their abilities to keep it cool. Except for the time Ash got pissed with Thorin earlier, that was a button rarely pushed with her witty friend.

"You shouldn't talk so bitterly like that if you wish to continue on with us." Thorin advised as she walked past, not giving him a glance.

Dakota shrugged, "I can threaten a dwarf that calls me a dog, after I've warned him already once." She picked up some old wooden crates around, but they were empty underneath.

Thorin was observing something on his own as he continued, "Why did you come with us then? If we so easily offend you."

"I'm not offended Thorin." Dakota dropped another basket, causing a much bigger racket than she intended. She cringed a little and looked at the other startled dwarves with a small apologetic wave, before continuing on. "And I came because of Bilbo."

"You sound offended."

"There's a difference between getting offended and defending who you are and what you do. Besides, it doesn't help when more than half your company gives us looks like we're about to bite their heads off any second. Worse now that they've seen me." Dakota felt herself get a little quiet about that in the end, thinking about how hard it naturally is for her to fit in. Ash and Rhea can more easily get people to like them, with Rhea being so kind and Ash having sympathy and humor to lighten the mood in most situations. Dakota only knew how to defend herself and her pack, both verbally and physically. She never could take insults or orders from people very well, and that came often with the hobbits she grew up around.

Which made friends hard to come by since she always seemed so snappy and rude.

Seeming to feel her musing after that sentence, Thorin switched hands on his torch and looked over at her. Her brows pulled together in a thoughtful manner as she held onto some useless property, examining it a little too hard.

"I was originally asking why you came with us down into the troll cave." He corrected, his deep voice echoing a little in the cave. Gandalf was dusting off some books in the corner while the other dwarves started burying things.

Dakota looked at him with confusion before realizing what he meant. She dropped her expression with a dry one, "Oh, so I'm not allowed to look in trolls caves?"

"I never said such a thing."

"You never say much of anything." Dakota chaffed more quietly to herself, turning away with an eye roll. He was more broody than Dwalin, and that dwarf had the verbal intelligence of a rock.

"What?" He leaned over to catch her expression.

"What?" She repeated, giving him innocent silver eyes.

Thorin grumbled and shifted through more things, ignoring her once more.

Dakota smirked to herself and kept looking through all the hidden treasure when Thorin suddenly put his torch down next to him, and grabbed a sword completely covered in cobwebs. He held two of them as his eyes examined their decorated hilts and carvings.

"These swords were not made by any troll." He commented, his voice sounding impressed with its forge. Gandalf turned over and came to look, Thorin handing him one he was carrying.

Gandalf gave it a good observation too, "Nor were they made by any smith among men." He blew a little on the dust as he unsheathed it.

Dakota watched over her shoulder as they discovered it being made by high elves from someplace sounding holy. She didn't quite understand where Gandalf said they were made so she guessed it.

Thorin, suddenly becoming disgusted with that, slowly put it back down again, eyes cold and full of memories long since passed.

"You could not wish for a finer blade!" He protested, convincing the King to unsheathe the one he was holding instantly. His eyes scanned it over, front and back. Dakota didn't know much about ancient swords, but that one looked like it could slice a few good things, and look pretty while doing it.

Dwalin, still standing there, watched the dwarves fill the hole with the buried chest. Gloin noticed him staring and told him, "We're making a long-term deposit."

Dwalin closed his eyes and shook his head, his face unbelievable at his shallow minded comrades.

"Let us leave this foul place." Thorin ordered, stepping back up into the open air, calling for the rest to come.

Before Dakota completely followed she realized Gandalf has stopped midway. She cocked her head a little as he used his staff to uncover a hidden blade under the leaves. When he picked it up, it was rather small, but Dakota could tell it had the same markings as Thorin's. Maybe the elves made this one too?

"Perfect." Gandalf murmured to himself. Dakota caught on to what he meant for that, just by looking at its size and stature.

"You're joking." She stated dryly.

When Dakota and Gandalf made it to daylight outside the cave, the wizard called out for Bilbo. Whom was standing around near Rhea, while she sat on the ground looking at some horn Gloin discarded from the cave. Ash was kneeling near her, gripping her bow on her side.

Bilbo looked up surprised at Gandalf, when he met him halfway the wizard handed him the sword. "Here, this is about your size."

Bilbo took on a forlorn look, knowing he won't be able to use it, but didn't know how to explain why he didn't want this gift. Dakota gave him a sympathetic frown.

"I can't take this…" Bilbo pushed it back to him. Although Gandalf ignored him,

"The blade is of elvish make. Which means it will glow blue when orcs or goblins are nearby." He explained, trying to get the hobbit to realize he needed something of this make.

Dakota was rather intrigued by this magic sword now and nodded impressively. Ash and Rhea glanced over to what he was holding.

Bilbo glanced behind him to make sure none of the dwarves were listening, "I have never used a sword in my life."

Dakota knew he must feel embarrassed to say that out loud to the company, since he didn't want to be a burden. Knowing not how to fight was definitely frowned upon this quest in particular.

"And I hope you never have to," Gandalf leaned down a bit to Bilbo's height, looking him directly in the eyes. The cloudy blue in them serious as he spoke, "But if you do remember this: true courage is not knowing when to take a life, but when to spare one."

The girls all stared at him as Bilbo took the words in himself, letting it sink in that maybe having something like this to defend himself with won't be so bad. Dakota curiously watched Gandalf as he encouraged the hobbit to strap it on, when he met her gaze she smiled.

Gandalf, not saying anything about the fact that Dakota has barely smiled openly this entire journey so far, simply nodded back with a simper himself.

"Somethings coming!" Thorin roared from behind some rocks, startling everyone.

"Gandalf…" Bilbo murmured, not being able to finish his thought as Ash came right up to his side, Dakota right behind her. Rhea pushed herself to her feet, looking a little better than before. She brushed her dirty red strands out of her face and stood tall and aware.

Gandalf walked as fast as he could with his stride and ordered, "Hurry now!"

The dwarves all ran past him while Bilbo unsheathed the gleaming sword slowly, gazing at it's beauty while Rhea interrupted saying they needed to go.

As they all met up together with the company, something shot out of the bushes and in an instant Ash shoved Bilbo behind her, bow knocked and ready.

"Thieves! Fire! Murder!"

The raggedy short man stood atop some kind of sled, with…bunnies leading it?

Ash lowered her bow, seeing the fright in the man's eyes before landing his sights on Gandalf. She wondered where he just came from, and how he found them? But most importantly, are those rabbits actually leading a sled?

"Radagast!" Gandalf sheathed his sword. "It's Radagast the brown!"

Ash quipped her arrow once more while Dakota made a confused face,

"And that's supposed to make us feel better?"

"Yeah Gandalf knows him." Ash replied.

"Wow I feel so trusting now."

Ash rolled her eyes, "Relax would you?"

"You relax."

Ash turned to look at her, finding her friend scowling. "What's gotten your fur ruffed?"

Dakota didn't meet her eyes, but she sighed rubbing her temples, "Nothing. I'm just hungry."

Coming to think of it, Ash hadn't eaten in a while either. They usually eat whatever Bombour fixes up but little did the dwarves know that they had massive appetites. In order to survive, they could go for days without food, but at the same time they needed more than the usual just to keep up every other day. Especially with all this energy they were using by walking.

"Yeah, me too." Rhea agreed out loud, obviously noticing Ash was about to.

"Shifting has made it worse by tenfold." Dakota grumbled. Ash gave her a sensitive glance, understanding now evident in Dakota's grumpy mood swing. After shifting, it left them starving, and they were already getting hungrier by the day no matter what they ate from dinner. She can't imagine the noise Dakota's stomach will make here soon.

While Gandalf was talking with the other wizard this whole time, they ended up conversing elsewhere. Clearly the conversation that was needed had to have some privacy.

The girls barely paid any mind to it as they talked with Bilbo. "We need to go hunting." Ash started.

Bilbo widened his eyes and shook a finger at them, "No, no. You _can't."_

Rhea sighed and looked at Dakota who was started to get antsy. Ash got the message Rhea was giving to persuade the hobbit to let them go.

"Bilbo, we haven't eaten enough the past few days. We're starting to starve. You have to let us go." Ash pushed, giving her best puppy-eyes to Bilbo. The hobbit, already used to that look, shook his head once more.

"You cannot leave, what if we get moving again? There also could be anything out there. No, it's not safe." Bilbo stubbornly took his own side and watched the girls almost pout in misery.

Ash clenched her teeth in angst, "Bilbo. Dakota _shifted._ She needs to eat badly."

Bilbo dropped his arms from his hips and gave Dakota a worried look mixed with concern. They were both right, first it was dangerous but second they really do get cranky when they haven't eaten, especially after shifting.

"It's too dangerous…" He protested gently.

"If I don't get any food soon, these dwarves are going to start looking tasty." Dakota snapped. Her silver eyes determined, but full of worry herself. No way could they risk that while trying to get on good terms with half the company still.

Bilbo seemed to be thinking hard and looked around quickly, tapping his foot for a moment. He looked up at Ash, "Alright fine but make it _quick."_

Rhea pumped her fist slightly in victory while Ash smiled and nodded. "Don't worry, you won't even notice we left."

"Who's leaving?"

The curiousness of Fili never ended as Ash closed her eyes and turned around slowly to look at him. Dakota let out a barely audible growl nobody else could hear.

Fili studied Ash's facial expressions as she clearly showed they got caught planning to leave. "Nowhere, just doing a pee break." She answered confidently, her green eyes narrowed slightly.

Rhea barely widened hers as Kili came up next to his brother, also watching.

"Pee break huh? All three of you?" Fili questioned, propping his leg up on the rock and leaning on it with his elbow.

"Yup, gotta go really bad. C'mon girls." Dakota grabbed Rhea's arm and dragged her away while Ash cleared her throat and avoided Fili's eyes. Backing away and following them.

Kili stepped down the rock and started going in the same direction. Fili right behind him.

"Excuse me, need some privacy here?" Ash gave them an incredulous look. Fili, unfazed walked up to her and stopped, shrugging.

"We aren't going where you're going we just wanna make sure the woods are safe for you gals. Or should I say, the woods safe from you?" Fili proposed, a feign look of confusion on his face. Ash clenched her fists at his lowkey insult at what they were.

Fili went to look at her eyes but she turned away quickly. "Unbelievable." Was all she muttered.

Kili walked up to where Rhea was being pulled by Dakota still and grabbed the red-heads arm. Being yanked back, Rhea felt herself being pulled two different ways. Dakota glaring at the dwarf who smiled back at her teasingly.

"Rhea why don't you tell me where you're actually going?" Kili asked, still smirking at Dakota. Rhea gazed up at him,

"Uh…."

Kili looked at her as she hesitated, his dark brown eyes going straight into her soul. Rhea thought she was good at lying, what is happening?

"What they said." Was all she managed to get out, pathetically.

Kili's grip on her bicep got tighter as he tried to pull her closer, this time Rhea somewhat trying to help Dakota get herself a good space in between her and the dwarf prince. She had no idea what game Kili was playing at but he seemed to be enjoying knowing she was lying.

"What's the deal? Can't we walk a bit into the woods without being followed? We don't need to be babysat." Ash retorted, going up to Kili so she can get him to let go of Rhea who looked disconcerted. Before she made it though Fili yanked on her wrist and pulled her to a stop.

"Why are you lying Ash? How can we trust you if you're lying?" Fili narrowed his light green eyes at her, causing her to mimic his glare stubbornly. She tugged at his hold but he refused to let go.

"Fili…" She started, growling.

Fili just tilted his head a little, showing a sly smirk slightly as Ash attempted to pry him away.

"You _know_ you can trust me. I'm not a monster." Ash said, her voice getting a little desperate.

Fili's expression changed a bit, focusing on her more intently. "We'll see about that." He stated.

"What is going on here?" Thorin demanded from atop the hill.

Dakota dropped Rhea's arm and threw both hers into the air. "Oh for the love of all things holy, CAN WE NOT PEE?"

Thorin, taken aback by this outburst, said nothing, his blue eyes wondering what she was talking about. While Fili dropped Ash's wrist, and Kili let go of Rhea.

"Just was making sure they weren't going off to do something unthinkable." Fili put his hands on his belt.

Ash rolled her eyes annoyed, "Yeah we're gonna be a real problem to you guys soon. Better keep your sword arm ready, I could really go for dwarf right now." She gave him a complete sarcastic smile with her nose scrunched as Fili looked at her.

She knew that was dumb to say but she was so annoyed with the fact they think they were going to just murder and betray them at every second she just wanted it to end and be left alone.

"You know what? Never mind. I'm going for one of those bunnies, I don't even care anymore." Dakota declared, beginning to walk over there.

Rhea opened her mouth to stop her when Kili whipped his head around to look at her curiously. Rhea forgot what she was going to say now.

Suddenly, his expression softened and he frowned, "You're hungry."

Rhea just stared at him, her hazel eyes showing nothing but shock at his revelation.

There was a howl that interrupted the whole situation.

Bilbo's voice sounded from behind the rock, where he popped his head out. "Was that a wolf?" It sounded like one, but were they the same type as the girls?

Bofur, holding tightly to his hammer almost looked nervous. "Wolf? No that is not a wolf."

Slightly relieved they weren't, Bilbo watched out into the forest not looking behind him. The growl of the animal was heard just seconds before pouncing down the hill and on top of Dori.

Quick as a flash Thorin brought his sword down upon its throat, cutting it open and killing it instantly. Another one came from behind him but this time Kili shot an arrow in its neck while Dwalin finished it off by crushing its skull.

The girls came up to the dead animal and curiously examined it's body. Never seeing one of its kind before. It was ugly, and its head seemed way too big for its lean body.

Thorin yanked his sword out of the flesh of the first dead one. "Warg scouts! Which means an orc pack is not far behind." He looked around once more to make sure no more came rushing from the trees.

"Orc pack?" Bilbo swallowed. The girls tensed.

"Who did you tell of your quest, beyond your kin?" Gandalf interrogated suddenly. Rhea wasn't sure why it mattered so much. Didn't they roam around freely or something?

"No one." Thorin answered, breathing heavily.

"Who did you tell?!" Gandalf demanded the second time.

"No one I swear!" Thorin was beginning to get angrier by the minute. Gandalf huffed shaking his head. "What in Durin's name is going on?"

"You are being hunted." He gripped his staff tightly.

The girls exchanged glances. Rhea wondered how many of them there were, and if the company could take them on. Even Kili was searching around frantically. That dwarf took on some trolls like it was nothing, what was the deal with these doglike things? She could almost guarantee she was bigger as a wolf, they saw Dakota, she wondered what the difference was to them?

"We have to get out of here." Dwalin suggested, voice scratchy from the tension rising within the entire group.

"We can't!" Ori and Bifur came from running from the other direction. "We have no ponies, they bolted!"

Rhea looked around at all of them, seeing their fear of being pinned to the ground like this, not able to make a wise decision about this situation on the spot. Even Gandalf was looking rattled.

"I'll draw them off." Radagast suddenly suggested. Rhea almost choked. Who's this guy again? With the bunnies?

"These are Gundabad Wargs. They will outrun you." Gandalf protested, blatantly pointing out at how ridiculous that idea was.

"These are Rhosgobel rabbits." The small wizard pointed out. "I'd like to see them try." He finished proudly.

"There's too many of them." Gandalf tried reasoning one last time. He thought about something else that could distract them too but nothing came to his frazzled mind. Radagast looked over his shoulder and smiled.

"It will be a fun little game." Radagast said, switching his staff to his other hand. Gandalf turned to look behind him.

"Then let's make it a party of two." Rhea stepped forward determinedly, her hazel eyes burning a yellow flame as Radagast smirked.

* * *

**Hellu. Please leave a review if you can ^.^ (****Thank you to the reviews I got from last chapter!)**

**Was going to put the chase scene in this chapter but then I didn't realize how long it had already gotten. I was like damn aiight.**

**Also, screw chemistry homework.**

**-Pyrite**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

As the wargs howled coming closer to the woods where the company was safely hidden, Ash and Dakota hauled Bilbo off as they began by hiding as Radagast mounted his sled.

When the wargs were just stopping at the tree line as Radagast burst through the other side, going around the pack that had gathered around the scent of dwarf. The rabbits surprisingly, were very quick on their feet. Their whip fast turning helping them navigate the open plains and the rocks that scattered over them.

"Come and get me!" He shouted, coursing them on with his hand. The wargs had taken the bait, along with their just as stupid orc riders.

When the wargs safely had some distance between them and the company, Thorin ordered everyone to move out. Ash and Dakota flanked Bilbo closely as they made a dash out of the woods and across the grass terrain. Bilbo with his shorter legs was going almost twice as fast trying to keep up while the girls were basically at a jog.

Gandalf peeked behind one of the rocks and noticed Radagast dragging the entire pack away as the orcs threw their swords in the air and made battle cries. Ash checked around again though to make sure none were lingering behind, as some do as a precaution.

"Let's move." Gandalf ordered, and lead the way as they crossed as quick as they could to the next cover of rocks. When they watched Radagast barely pulling ahead, there were of course, hidden wargs throughout the fields, obviously for hunting purposes like this. They sprang out of their spots and Radagast was able to dodge a few very luckily. However, when one came unexpectedly from his side, all he could do was duck and close his eyes briefly, hoping for the warg to miss.

Much to his relief though, a massive body slammed into the warg just before it could touch the ground again. It's almost white fur barely visible as it yanked the back of the wargs neck so roughly and threw it up against the rock, the warg was instantly knocked out.

Radagast kept his eyes back on his path, trying to keep up the wargs' attention on him. This time though, the creamy fur of a wolf pelted past him, it's strides long and powerful, easily out maneuvering any of the wargs that tried to pounce on her.

As the wargs came from left and right, or even a little too close behind, Rhea in her wolf form aggressively attacked and bit each one, earning yelps and falls as they failed. She went off to get the attention of more wargs hiding out as Radagast tried to find the opposite direction from whence the dwarves were coming from, but alas it was difficult to keep track with the plains looking the same from almost every direction.

Rhea jumped onto two wargs that were crouching around, waiting for Radagast to come back in the circles he was making. She put as much strength as she could in pinning one down and fending off from the other. Remembering the much practice she's had play-fighting with Ash and Dakota, she tried to not over think too much about how real this fight really was.

Scratching the face of one of the wargs and launching it into the air a few feet away with her hindlegs, she pounced on the other and clamped her jaws under its throat, biting as hard as she could.

Not even realizing the power of her bite, she was going to twist its neck before she noticed it was already dead. The other one came for her and she dropped the body quickly and reared up on her back legs, throwing her weight onto it as it bit and growled ferociously at her. Rolling around with it for a few seconds she managed to break its neck by throwing it against the rock.

Panting, she found Radagast once more, but this time the company could be seen too, pressed up against one of the rocks trying to blend in. With no luck though, they stood out like ants on rice.

Thorin who was leading now, took a halt and watched the wargs go past dangerously close still. He looked around anxiously, not knowing which direction to go anymore. When he met eyes with Gandalf, the wizard took charge,

"Stay together."

"Move!" The slower members of the party now going up front as the quicker ones intertwined from behind, keeping an eye on their backs.

Rhea was clearly running all over the place as she kept finding hidden pack members and killing them, making sure none follow the dwarves and her pack just a bit away. Ash knew they were safe from behind, but with the directions Radagast was going, it was becoming difficult for Rhea to keep them all contained.

They all ran together up the hill once more, Dakota and Ash holding their bows tightly, an arrow already knocked just in case one needed to fire right away without warning. Ash hated this running out in the open with nothing to back themselves into, they were completely exposed.

When coming through a rock overhang, Thorin stopped very suddenly as the pack went past, although Ori couldn't stop soon enough and had to be yanked back by Thorin himself. "Ori no!"

Ash didn't know how the heck they haven't been spotted yet, they were so oblivious to things around them that the pack just solely focused on the brown wizard and his rabbits. Along with Rhea of course, but she was way too fast for the Wargs to even try. Even between the three of them, Rhea's lean body and muscled hind-legs were basically bred for speed and agility. She outpaced them both easily.

"We're gonna get spotted! It's too open." Ash stated, looking at Gandalf and Thorin.

"I know where we are going, move quickly!" Gandalf ushered them on running once more. Thorin staying by his side as he took in his words.

"Where are you leading us?"

Gandalf didn't answer and simply ran after the group from behind, Thorin looking displeased with that reply, followed suite.

"Rhea will stop any wargs from getting too close to us." Bilbo reassured, running right next to Ash. Kili glanced back at him,

"Are you sure? There's too many, too fast."

"Rhea is faster than both of us combined basically, once she focuses on what targets she has, none of them can escape her will to chase." Ash replied.

Just then, the pack came running back around with Radagast in the lead still, Rhea now flanking some of the wargs and biting them, getting them riled up to her. Her wolf was just barely bigger, but its frame was much wider and sturdier running next to the oddly shaped wargs.

The company swung to the side and pressed themselves up against the rock, waiting for the pack to get a good enough distance away again.

Dakota startled forward as she saw one of the wargs turn away from the pack and start running to exactly where the dwarves were hidden. Tightening her grip on her bow, she prepared to aim for its eyes if it discovered where they were.

"It's caught on to us! We have to prepare to fight!" Dwalin swung his hammer out more, readying himself. Gandalf calmed everyone shortly after, waiting for the warg to get closer.

"If we jump out the entire pack might come after us, we must stay hidden!" Gandalf commanded. As soon as he said those words though, Rhea caught onto the missing warg and bolted in their direction. Kicking up dirt as her speed accelerated tremendously, her body moving like a rippling muscle.

Dakota pulled her string back on her bow as the company watched Rhea sprint over the entire field. "The warg is too close she won't get to it in time." Fili whispered harshly next to Ash. Kili readied his bow as well and watched Rhea intensely. Dakota huffed,

"You underestimate how fast that girl actually is."

When the warg looked like he was about to win his prize and find the dwarves, Rhea practically came out of nowhere and rammed herself into its side, knocking it over and causing it to roll a couple times in the dirt. Rhea catching herself a bit gracefully from her top speed and dug into its neck to kill it.

Panting, Rhea stood up straighter and looked directly at the group, her yellow eyes glinting in the sun as her shoulders and chest heaved up and down.

"That's incredible…" Nori mumbled, astounded at her flight of speed. Kili shook his head, and smiled a little.

Ash and Dakota nodded to her while she whipped around and ran back.

A low growling interrupted Gandalf telling them to get moving again. Another stray warg somehow managed to creep its way up the rock and just above them. Fili stood pressed against Ash as the dwarves attempted to become the rock itself in order to hide in these barren plains.

Lightly running her fingers up the string to where the bow was knocked, Ash waited until Gandalf or Thorin gave the order to attack first. But as she watched, Thorin looked over at Kili and nodded to his own bow, telling him to go.

Kili took the chance immediately and stepped forward to aim, his arrow finding its spot in its shoulder as it whined trying to bite at it. Ash was about to help when Fili grabbed her arm and kept it down.

Another arrow hit its mark in the orcs head, from Kili again. Causing the warg to topple over and drop to the ground. Dwalin slamming his hammer into its skull and crushing it while Bifur stuck his spear right into the orc. Dakota pulled on her string and fired at the orc, finishing it off right in the eye, per usual for her. Thorin though, whipped his head around and glared at her.

Dakota wondered where that came from, she thought that was the cue to attack the orc! Why can they have all the fun while her and Ash apparently can't join in anything. She knew deep down its because they don't trust them with their lives yet, which can be difficult to fight with when you're not sure when they'll turn on you. But Dakota didn't think that mattered at this point in time, so she gave him a 'whatever' eye roll.

The noise from the orc screeching caused the pack to stop and listen, smelling the air. Rhea paused from killing yet another warg, her creamy pelt a little stained with blood spots now. She sniffed the air and smelled it too, fresh orc blood.

The orc shouted something and the pack ran forward, all of them at once. Rhea knew she couldn't take them all on this time, and Radagast seemed to have long gone over the hills. She ran after the pack, paws thumping hard into the ground as she picked up speed and passed them, keeping a good distance so they don't see her and all come after her too.

"Run!" Gandalf yelled, while the dwarves finished up the orc and ran after him.

As they ran across yet another field with few pine trees to cover in, the howling of the wargs came ever closer, tracking them down faster than they could possibly run. They were coming from all sides of them, easily forming a barricade so the dwarves and Gandalf couldn't possibly have anywhere else to go.

"Over there! More of them!" Nori pointed out, the rest of the dwarves keeping their weapons close and unsheathed. Constantly looking around at all the wargs gathered up and circling them. Bilbo fearfully stuck next to Ash and Dakota, his little sword out and ready. The girls stood back to back, looking out for Rhea.

"Where did she go?" Ash asked, worried for her friend now that there was too many to distract.

"She can follow us easily, we have to protect Bilbo!" Dakota replied in between breaths. Her twin swords out and crossed in front of her.

Thorin stopped as two wargs were just up ahead of them, his jaw clenched as they began surrounding them. Kili shouted from behind, "There's more coming!"

"Kili! Shoot them!" He ordered back.

Ash was a little offended that Thorin didn't realize they had two more archers that could clear saddles but she didn't dwell on it. She knocked her arrow and fired at one, making him screech and fall off his saddle. She fired two more at the oncoming warg with his now empty back, until he collapsed onto the ground.

"We're surrounded!" Fili notified, not able to do much either as the wargs came ever closer, still too many to count. Dakota and Ash were firing this way and that, trying to get as many down as they could. They missed a couple of times because the wargs kept moving around frustratingly back and forth, dodging the flying arrows.

"Where's Gandalf?" Bofur panicked, looking around desperately.

"He's abandoned us." Dwalin stiffened, his hammer out as they all backed up to the single rock in between them. His scent lingering very fresh in the air still and Ash wondered where he hid off to so well in the open plains like this.

She ran back to the rock and smelled a waft of pine coming strongly from underneath it, when she looked down Gandalf's scent seemed to have come down from there too. She turned her head and spotted the first dwarf which was Gloin and called out to him.

"Gloin! There's a passage! This way!" She motioned him over, and Gloin not thinking twice about trusting a wolf, came over and brought Oin and Nori. When they were about to come look, Dwalin had stopped them.

"Don't trust her, she'll only lead you to a trap!"

"I found a way out! I'm not lying! Why would I do that if I'm going down to?" Ash shouted back, her anger at the dwarves mistrust growing.

"You only know tricks to get us fooled, then you'll eat us skin and bone!" Dori supported Dwalin who nodded and glanced around at the wargs closing in.

"You're all unbelievable!" Ash knocked her bow and hit her target of a close by warg, right in its forehead. Before whipping around and sliding down the mysterious passageway.

Dakota watched her friend go down and decided to drag Bilbo closer so he could follow her. "Wait where did she go?" He asked, looking at where Ash just went.

"Hold your ground!" Thorin commanded, the sword he found in the cave glinting in the suns light. His blue eyes determined and ready for a fight to the death.

Some commotion was heard nearby as a pale animal pounded on one of the wargs it was passing by to get through. Rhea's unmistakable light-colored fur was a blur as she ripped into one warg and onto the next, rolling into the ground and knocking them away.

"This way you fools!" Gandalf suddenly appeared from under the rock and then back down again. Thorin twisted around to spot him and ran up to the rock.

"Quickly! All of you!" He called, while the dwarves ran up and slid down the rock crevice one at a time.

Rhea caught up to them and in a moment of trust, Dakota picked up Bilbo and threw him into the air. Rhea caught him by his back pack with her mouth and ran to the rock faster than the rest of them, tossing Bilbo down safely before turning around and standing with Thorin on the opposite side, making sure the rest got down safely.

A warg or two would come up as they watched the dwarves disappear but Thorin sliced one away and Rhea tackled one and snapped its neck. When Thorin looked over at her, she met his eyes, her yellow iris's fierce and determined. Thorin almost felt a little appreciative that this beast was on their side, almost. But it went away as soon as it came.

Thorin noticed Kili and Fili were the last ones to come, and while Fili was waiting for his brother to finish firing, they had run out of time. "Kili! Run!" Thorin called, and the young prince began bolting for the crevice, his brother right in front of him. Wargs chased him down and the closest one almost bit into Kili if Rhea hadn't charged into it and tore into its throat.

Thorin didn't wait for her as he slid down the rock too, while Rhea finished off the warg. When she turned around she saw they were all gone and was about to run after them before a horn sounded throughout the entire field.

Ears perked, she could smell something different coming towards them, and knowing she couldn't handle even more, she raced up to the rock and slid down with her paws outstretched. Knowing she was too big for all of them as she came down, Rhea transformed back into her human body with a jump and landed on her two feet perfectly ahead of them with a puff of dust only. All the dwarves stared in shock at how quickly that just happened, but was distracted immediately.

There were fighting noises coming from above but they couldn't see anything. Rhea caught her breath for a moment while Bilbo went to check on her.

"What is that?" Dakota asked, but nobody answered. They all waited until an orc fell dead into the hole. Jumping back the dwarves let Thorin pull out the arrow in its neck.

"Elves." He stated, throwing it down in disgust, the expression he gave Gandalf was one of anger, but something else too, like he knew what was coming.

"I cannot see where the pathway leads, do we follow it or no?" Dwalin asked from up ahead.

"Follow it of course!" Bofur answered, wanting to get out of the area as fast as possible along with the rest of the company.

Gandalf looked over at Bilbo and Rhea, "I think that would be wise."

Rhea felt her bruise begin to ache severely again, but this time she didn't ask for help from Oin again. She didn't want to bother him since they already don't like them enough.

As the group went through the very narrow space, Rhea went behind Ash from the back of the group. After Ash had made sure Rhea was feeling okay, she stuck by her so she could feel comfortable. Rhea now knew what Dakota meant by the hunger, it felt pretty bad before but now its like her own stomach was attacking itself.

Bilbo was just up ahead of Gandalf while Dakota helped Bofur shove Bombour through the parts he was getting stuck on.

"Gandalf, where are we?" Bilbo asked curiously, he felt something thick in the air but couldn't quite place it. It was calming though, and seemed to ease stress he didn't know he had in the back of his mind.

Gandalf looked down at him, a little impressed. "You can feel it?" he assumed.

"Yes." Bilbo answered quickly. "It feels like..well it feels like magic."

Rhea paused and tried to feel it, but nothing was coming from the air. She wondered why Bilbo could feel it but she couldn't, usually the girls are more perceptive to these things than he was, so that was curious indeed.

"Well that's exactly what it is. A very powerful magic." Gandalf confirmed, while Dakota exchanged a glance with Rhea and shrugged, not feeling it either. Gandalf noticed the girls' confusion but said nothing, his eyes knowing though.

When the group finally came to an end of the passage, the girls froze and almost dropped their weapons in hand. Bilbo widened his eyes as now he knew exactly where this magic power was coming from. "The valley of Imladris. In the common tongue it is known by another name." Gandalf informed, walking up behind Bilbo.

"Rivendell." Bilbo answered him anyways. Dakota turned around and gave the hobbit the most confused look ever.

"You what now?" She questioned. He knew of this place?

When Dakota looked back over at Rhea, it was her turn to shrug.

Ash made her way to the front of the crowd and stood over the cliff, getting a clearer look at the valley. She followed the little stream that came from where they stood and watched it fall and dissipate before it even reached the bottom. Obvious at how far down it was, she decided to look up nervously and go back a few steps.

"Wolves not a fan of heights eh?" Bofur joked lightly, while Ash gave him a short glance.

"Hence the animal 'wolf' not 'eagle'." She stated, while Bofur chuckled at that. He seemed pretty relaxed standing next to her, and she decided she liked him the most so far besides Gloin.

Thorin in the back, turned around to face Gandalf, "This was your plan all along." He accused. "To seek refuge with our enemy."

Gandalf's eyes showed no sign of offense as he looked down at Thorin, who's expression was that of annoyance and betrayal. Dakota cocked her head to the side as she overheard this.

"I thought it was the other elves living in those woods that didn't help you? Are these ones suddenly the same?" She wondered, quite genuinely actually.

Thorin however, didn't take her curiosity as just that. "You know nothing of the matter. I'm not talking to you."

Dakota made a mocking face as he looked away and muttered, "Oh I'm not talking to you I'm a king, hur-dur."

Rhea slapped her arm laughing quietly as Nori and Ori stared at her from her response. Rhea quickly stopped smiling and cleared her throat.

"You have no enemies here Thorin Oakenshield." Gandalf continued as if that didn't just happen. Bilbo still stood awkwardly next to them both. "The only ill will to be found here is that which you bring yourself."

Thorin took another step forward, eyes intent on the wizard. Bilbo just made an uncomfortable look sideways. "You think the elves, will give our quest their blessing?" He dropped his look, "They will try to stop us."

"Of course they will! But we have questions that need to be answered."

Thorin sighed deeply, looking down at the ground. Clearly the wizard made a point to him. Besides they were already here, and Dakota leaned up against the rock waiting for them to signal to get moving again.

Very awkwardly though, as the silence ensued for just a brief moment as Gandalf was thinking. A low grumbling noise came out of nowhere.

But it wasn't a beast, just Dakota's stomach. Widening her eyes, she gasped and clutched her belly, looking over at the three of them standing there. Gandalf almost laughed while Bilbo gave her a look of sympathy. Thorin's eyes were curious but mostly unreadable.

She furrowed her brows, "What?"

Bilbo itched his nose trying to not smile now while Gandalf spoke again. "If we are to be successful this will need to be handled with tact, and respect, and no small degree of charm. Which is why you will leave the talking to me."

Rhea nodded, sounded fair, she had never met elves or knew how to speak to them. All she knew is that she was starving, and if they didn't get something soon she was going to eat Bombour.

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**Please leave a review, they really do help me feel better about how I'm doing writing this. **

**Thanks for the ones I got from last chapter, and the follows and favs! I appreciate that so much. **

**-Pyrite**


	9. Chapter 9

**So if you got like a weird double update notification. I accidentally put up half of chapter 10 that I'm in the middle of writing instead of chapter 9. Haha...I'm an idiot...forgive me, please enjoy.**

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Chapter 9

As the group started the walk down the cliff path, single file, the sun was breaching into the valley and reflecting rainbows from the droplets of the waterfalls. Rhea had never seen such a place so beautiful, the air itself felt lighter to her, like she could take one breath and never need one again for eternity. As she stayed just behind Bifur in the line, she got so distracted by the beauty she almost rammed into him when he stopped to look too.

Abruptly halting, Rhea skidded a little backwards and almost fell onto her bum. If it wasn't for two arms coming from behind her to somewhat catch her and lift her back up properly. Rhea turned around to thank the dwarf but swallowed it once she realized it was Kili. His brown eyes brighter with the sun shining into them, with a bit of brown hair falling into his eyes too. A small smile quirked in the corner of his mouth charmingly and Rhea wondered what kind of dessert would look good with light chocolate frosting all over it….

"Lost your footing?" He spoke, totally snapping Rhea out of the clouds of thought.

She widened her eyes, forgetting to hide that she was spacing out. "You what now?-I mean yes. Wait no I didn't." She shook her head. "I also meant yes, yes I did. Sorry. Thank you?"

She had no idea what she just said.

Kili laughed though, "You sure about that? You seemed like you were debating on whether to thank me or not." He motioned for her to continue down the path so they don't hold up the others and she obliged, not feeling like looking at him.

"Apologies, I got lost in thought and sometimes I ramble when I get caught off guard." She replied, somewhat honestly. She really was caught off guard though.

"What were you thinking about?"

Rhea almost tripped over her own feet this time. "I uh, the beauty…of this place. Yeah." She closed her mouth and blew nervous air into her cheeks puffing them up.

"It really is a looker isn't it? Uncle is not going to be happy about this at all." Kili told her, somewhat to himself though.

"Because of his hatred of elven kind?" She guessed.

"Exactly. But we do need to rest and some of us are starving for food." Kili's eyes tried to catch hers from behind a little, a sly smirk on his face.

Rhea tried hiding her face in her red hair, "I could go for a few pieces of food."

"Not dwarf I hope?" Kili joked.

_HA HA HA._

"No of course not. I'd really have to be starving to eat chewy dwarf." Rhea tried to lighten the mood a little too. Hoping he bought that and her expression wasn't obvious to that which she actually _was_ starving that bad.

Kili took some steps so he was walking down next to her, "What? Are you saying we taste bad?"

Rhea looked over and up at him and was a little relieved he was playful still. "I've never tasted one before you dummy, I wouldn't know. Although I _heard_ they tasted chewy."

Kili nodded in fake understanding, "So where did you hear this from I wonder? Trolls?"

Rhea decided to mess with him a little, "No." She leaned over to him like it was a secret. "From Dakota."

She nodded and nudged at him, while Kili widened his eyes and turned around to look at Dakota. Who hilariously was actually listening in from pretty far away, and met eyes with Kili, giving him a wink.

Kili turned back to look at Rhea who couldn't help but burst out laughing, clutching her stomach. "Oh my goodness, Kili I'm actually joking. No way has she ever!"

Kili broke out a smile and shoved her lightly, "I can't believe you." He laughed shortly. Rhea liked hearing his laugh though, it was very carefree sounding, and very contagious. It kept the smile on her face.

Dwalin however was in the middle walking from where Rhea was to Dakota and scowled, "That isn't something to joke about."

Kili looked down at the ground, his expression blank and more serious. While Rhea gave a small glare to Dwalin before looking away. Always someone in this company to ruin the mood and go back to treating them like wild beasts all over again. She felt like she was almost getting there with Kili for a fleeting moment.

"It's funny if it's not true Dwalin." Rhea muttered, but loud enough for the dwarf to hear.

"We know nothing about you except you being able to use dark magic to turn yourself into beasts. How else are we supposed to think?" Dwalin fired back, getting riled up from Rhea talking back to him. She wasn't usually one for serious verbal confrontations, but her hunger was making her almost as short tempered as Ash.

However, it was even more annoying when the half bald dwarf actually made some sense. They really didn't know much about them. But they _did _help when they could.

"You know, I did help with the wargs. You're welcome for that." She spat.

"Only doing good deeds to gain our trust is all." Dwalin confidently stated after, his tone unchanging. Rhea clenched her fists, for the stubbornness of dwarves really was a curse to the mental stability of tempers.

"I think you did a really good job." Kili whispered to her. Surprised he even supported her, Rhea looked at him with grateful eyes and a small smile. Kili gently brushed his shoulder against hers as they continued down and finished at the bottom.

They walked across a perfectly cut stone bridge, with just a dizzying drop right below them. Some of the dwarves briefly stopped and looked down at the height before moving on. Ash was not one of them, she already knew she was going to get sick just by thinking about it.

"Don't fall." Bofur chuckled, noticing her stiff form. He nudged her a little and Ash relaxed a bit.

"Thanks for the advice Bofur." Shaking her head at him she quickly walked off the bridge and next to Rhea who was chatting quietly with Kili. Fili was right beside his brother, looking around at the valley below and around them.

All the dwarves were gathering around the center stopping just before Gandalf who waited patiently up front. Thorin was discussing something with Dwalin and they both shook their heads slightly, looking annoyed or impatient. Dakota came up with Bilbo last as he talked about the view and the structures around with her.

"Mithrandir!" A tall elf spoke from above the stairs, causing the entire company to turn and watch him come closer.

Gandalf spotted his friend and nodded to him, "Ah, Lindir."

Thorin told Dwalin next to him to 'stay sharp', their eyes untrusting on the elf in front of them. The rest of the dwarves were getting a little stiff as well. Rhea just looked curious while Ash put a hand on her hip. Elves look like men, just with better clothing. How interesting.

She stared closer. Ah no, they also have pointy ears.

The elf spoke in a different language to start with Gandalf, but Gandalf answered in the common tongue. "I must speak with Lord Elrond."

"My Lord Elrond is not here." Lindir replied gently. Gandalf thought to himself for a moment before asking,

"Not here?" He looked up then back at the elf. "Where is he?"

Just then the sound of the same horn they heard earlier came through the valley. Ash saw a line of horses coming up from the stone path they just were on. They had flags and armor on, and looked like they just came from a skirmish. Which if these were the same ones that saved them earlier, they definitely found one.

As they came closer, the furthest ones out were Dakota and Bilbo standing there watching them approach. Ash didn't see any danger out of it, Gandalf was a friend of this Elrond person right?

Her thoughts were wrong apparently as Thorin shouted something in a weird language and ordered the dwarves to close ranks. Dwalin stepped forward and pulled Bilbo so he was in the middle of the circle. While some others grabbed Ori as well. Bombour just placed Oin in front of him so he could be in the center himself.

Dakota and Ash just slowly took steps back so they were closer to the protective circle, while Rhea was dragged behind by Kili himself, pushing her back. Although she felt it was rather nice of him to actually want to protect her, and saying that is big since they've had little trust with the dwarves this entire time. Rhea didn't like being treated like the weaker one, and forced herself through so she could stand next to Ash up front.

The girls didn't unsheathe their weapons though, like the dwarves did. The elves reached the group and started circling them on their horses, forming perfect lines as they all smushed together on the small platform. Even Gandalf was showing a faint look of worry as the elves examined them around. Thorin gave the wizard a disappointed look before going back to his stance in the circle.

"Gandalf!" One of them noticed the wizard standing by.

Gandalf, looking a bit more relieved, stepped over to him. "Lord Elrond."

They began speaking the weird language again as the Elrond person got off his horse and came over to hug Gandalf. Ash assumed things were okay now but the dwarves still held their weapons out like they were ready to defend any moment. So the girls safely stayed at the back of the group.

"Strange for orcs to come so close to our borders." Elrond handed a sword over to Lindir. "Something or someone has drawn them near."

"Oh that may have been us." Gandalf informed him, letting the Lord get a good look at the group standing there. Thorin and Dwalin came up to meet him.

Lord Elrond seemed to know exactly who he was. "Welcome Thorin, son of Thrain."

"Those horses look so good…" Dakota's mumbling could be heard by only Ash and Rhea, who both looked over at her.

Ash smacked her arm. "Stop it."

Rhea couldn't say anything, she was internally agreeing with Dakota. But she knew that would be so wrong right now.

"You haven't shifted, you can't feel this pain." Dakota almost whined, eyeing the horses.

"Dakota, we have to behave. We seriously cannot ruin this." Rhea advised, knowing how long its been since they've had a good meal. She was hoping Bilbo or Gandalf would let them hunt after this meeting. If they even get an invite inside.

"I do not believe we have met." Thorin narrowed his eyes a little at Elrond.

"I knew Thrain when he ruled under the Mountain." Elrond clarified proudly.

"Indeed, he made no mention of you." Thorin retorted, his dislike of the elves ever prominent in his sarcastic tone.

Lord Elrond studied him for a brief moment, then spoke in their strange elvish language. Saying a whole two sentences Ash thought.

"What is this, does he offer us insult?!" Gloin put his axe up in defense. But Gandalf motioned for him to lower it and explained,

"No Master Gloin he's offering you food."

The dwarves turned to each other and discussed the situation. But Ash almost smacked herself in the forehead. Were they really thinking about this?

"Ah well, In that case lead on." Gloin answered for them all.

"Okay but how much food?" Dakota wondered, leaning over to get a better look up ahead. Rhea shrugged,

"No idea. But they must have more than enough. I mean just look at this place."

"Yeah they've gotta be packing tons." Ash added, beginning to follow the dwarves up the stairs. They were led to an overhang with flowers and branches decorated evenly across the stone slabs

"This way, through the halls and up to the dining area." Lindir said softly, directing them upwards. Gandalf and Lord Elrond had gone off together slightly, talking in hushed tones.

Although Dakota was intrigued by the nature of the entire place, she really couldn't get her mind off food. Shaking her head and swallowing her spit several times, they finally made it to the dinner area. But what was laid out onto the tables was nothing but dissatisfying.

Dakota stopped dead in her tracks. "You've gotta be joking."

The dwarves made the same faces, but with manners they sat down anyways in their respective spots. Music was gently playing by a harp and flute, and Dakota wanted to just rip apart everything that had a heartbeat in this room.

"Um.." Ash bit her lip next to her, and made a deep frown of concern. "This isn't going to cut it."

"Is there a problem?" Lord Elrond came up behind the trio his expression a little curious. Dakota just glanced at him then back at the food with her head unmoving. How were they going to tell this elf king that they need meat inside of their bodies that could fill ten trolls?

They weren't, that's exactly how it was going to go. Dakota cleared her throat slightly and nudged Ash, who seemed always better with her words. Ash received the message and turned to Lord Elrond.

"We currently have an issue that may only be regarded to Gandalf himself. If that's alright?" She insisted lightly, giving him her emerald eyes.

Lord Elrond didn't push it and simply nodded, walking away. Gandalf came up next and looked down at them, his expression somewhat knowing. "My dear girls, what seems to be the problem?"

Bilbo looked over at them curiously as well, finding them not sitting with him as Balin took a seat beside the hobbit.

"Gandalf, we need to hunt. Meat. Right now." Ash said, straight to the point with him.

"Greens won't do it?" He wondered genuinely.

"Absolutely not." Dakota widened her eyes at the audacity. "Have you ever met a wolf that's survived on leaves?"

Gandalf nodded with a 'that makes sense' face. "I see your point. However, I have never met wolves like you before. Forgive me for my lack of knowledge."

"It's alright Gandalf. We're just hungry and a bit short tempered." Rhea jumped in. "May we go?"

Gandalf gave a glance to Lord Elrond who was waiting, giving him an innocent smile as the elf king still looked overly curious. Then he looked back at the girls, "Alright. Be quick about it."

The girls skipped once on the spot and jogged out of the area. Gandalf leaving them to it and heading over to the elf king. "Apologies. Lead the way."

Lord Elrond nodded gracefully to him, "I understand." Was all he said, not inquiring for more. When they came up to the dining area, Thorin met up with them and walked with them to a separate table from the other dwarves. Bilbo met eyes with the wizard briefly and opened his mouth to ask where they went. Gandalf shook his head at him and the hobbit nodded.

"Kind of you to invite us. I'm not entirely dressed for dinner.." Gandalf apologetically indicated.

"Well you never are." Elrond agreed, a bit of a smile on his face.

Balin leaned over to ask Bilbo as they passed behind them, "Where did the girls run off to?"

Bilbo, after a moment of musing just a bit ago with Gandalf, had actually figured they went to go hunting. These greens would do nothing to slate their appetite for meat and blood. He had actually never seen them so hungry before, their pupils were turning into slits at this points. So when Balin asked him, he knew he had to come up with a valid excuse, although he wasn't sure if Gandalf had already said one. "I uh.."

Stammering a little as he started, Thorin gave him a look as they passed, unfortunately overhearing the question. He looked back behind him then at the hobbit once more. Now realizing it too. He stopped briefly at him, "Where did they go?"

"Uh, no need to worry Thorin. They um…" Bilbo racked his brain and tried to find Gandalf for support but the wizard was already sitting down near Elrond at the other table.

"C'mon laddie, where did they go?" Balin tested more, finding it strange the hobbit lost his senses all of a sudden. Bilbo scratched his head, not looking convincing.

Thorin towered over Bilbo, his blue eyes searching his facial expression intently. Bilbo swallowed and looked around once more. "Bilbo…" Thorin started.

"To the bathroom!" Bilbo shouted almost too excitedly. Some of the dwarves tuned into what was going on, Fili and Kili furrowing their brows.

"Oh, well hopefully they'll return soon. They seemed so hungry this entire time." Balin commented, moving on like Bilbo didn't just make it obvious that he was lying. Thorin however, was thoroughly unconvinced. He was called over by Gandalf though, and was unable to say more.

Bilbo dropped a sigh and hoped nobody else would ask questions. When he looked at the other dwarves they seemed to have moved on. Until he saw Fili and Kili watching him closely. The brothers eyes boring into him as they stared, while Bilbo awkwardly tried looking everywhere but there.

As the dinner went on, Kili managed to get distracted by some elvish maids, and while he was gazing, Dwalin caught onto him. Making fun of him as he mistook another male elf as a female, and the whole table exploded into laughter.

When Bilbo overheard Elrond talking about the swords Gandalf and Thorin found in the cave he looked at his own. Wondering what it's been through as well. However Balin quickly cut that dream short as he mentioned that it looked more like a letter opener really. Disappointed, Bilbo sheathed it again.

Thorin got up from where he sat and walked to the other side of the room, clearly not enjoying the conversation and where it was suddenly going. Gandalf watched him go as Elrond took a sip from his wine. "Thirteen dwarves, a halfling, and three women. Strange traveling companions Gandalf. Especially the women."

Gandalf choked a little on his food, buying time to answer. "These are the descendants of the house of Durin." He replied, disregarding the women part. "They're noble, decent folk. And they're surprisingly cultured. They've got a deep love of the arts."

Just then Nori turned to the harp playing elf, "Change the tune why don't you?" He cleaned one of his ears out. "I feel like I'm at a funeral!"

Oin looked around frantically, his ear trumpet filled with a napkin. "Did somebody die?"

Just then Bofur decided it was time for an old song to be sung. So he stood up on the table and began the tune. All the dwarves joined in very quickly, even Thorin was smiling and tapping his foot along to the beat. Food was being thrown more aggressively each line until it was being tossed everywhere. Bilbo chuckled a little at their energy as they sang along together.

As they sang and chatted a bit longer throughout the dinner, eventually the sun was going down further to where light was barely emitted onto the open balcony. As the elves began cleaning up the dwarves were being led to where they were going to be sleeping for the night.

Bilbo was behind them following until he heard some chattering down the hall, coming up the stairs. When he stopped to listen more, he knew it sounded familiar. Smiling in relief, he realized the girls had finally come back from hunting. As he waited, he saw Thorin speak to Fili briefly before walking with Balin to follow Elrond and Gandalf.

After that was done, Fili came straight over to Bilbo. Bilbo tried not looking at him as the voices of the girls got closer. He knew questions were going to be asked.

"Ah, girls finally back from a couple hours long bathroom break?" He asked rhetorically. Knowing all too well the lies told.

Right as he reached the hobbit, the three girls came into sight. They were talking and laughing at each other, shoving one another playfully as they recalled the nights hunt. They always were on something they liked to call 'High off the Hunt' which is an extremely good mood after they ate a live prey.

As Ash and the girls came up to Bilbo, the hobbit widened his eyes at their look. Their eyes were certainly much brighter, but not only that, they had completely forgotten to wash off the blood all over their leather armor. It was soaked from the neck to the forearms, as if they dug into the meat themselves after their wolves were done.

Ash smiled at Bilbo but slowly dropped it when she saw Fili next to him. Kili of course, didn't leave his brother behind and came to look at what was going on. When he saw more clearly, he stopped and gave the same shocked expression as Bilbo. Fili seemed very unfazed.

Ash looked at all three of them, she opened her mouth to say something but wasn't sure on what Bilbo said to cover their tracks.

"Back from the bathroom?" Kili asked, his expression turning into one of slight disappointment at the looks they were bearing on their clothes. Rhea rubbed the back of her neck nervously, while Dakota watched Bilbo who had no idea what to say. Ash figured she outta be the one to say something first but she couldn't help but glare at Bilbo at his lame excuse. The bathroom? They must've been gone for at least two hours!

"Yes?" Ash answered, a little uncomfortably. "We wanted to take a walk around and found some food while we were at it."

"Are you usually that messy with blood on your meat? Where did you find meat?" Fili tested, crossing his arms over his chest.

Ash narrowed her eyes, feeling threatened as he proudly figured out they were lying. "Look, it's late. We should get to bed, we're all tired, Bilbo is tired." Ash tried moving on but Fili wasn't having any of it.

"Did you kill something?" He accused, sounding like they just committed a crime. Ash bristled at that almost, knowing full well what he meant.

"We didn't kill any human or dwarf if that's what you're accusing us of. We aren't monsters!" She retorted, glaring at him through gleaming crystal green irises.

Bilbo stood there trying to find words to say. "They only were hungry Fili, they can't sustain themselves on just greens."

"We ate the greens and we're fine." Fili objected, his light green eyes still focused on Ash.

She growled, "We aren't like you."

"No, you're not." Fili finished, menace behind his words. Dakota stepped forward to challenge him herself, but Ash shot her arm out to stop her.

Bilbo knew Ash was controlling her temper rather impressively. As Rhea looked ready to flee and Dakota being the total opposite. Ash is almost like Dakota in a way, except she had much more patience when it came to arguing and disagreements. With the worst temper out of all three of them, that always impressed Bilbo when it came to her level head sometimes.

"We're done here." Ash spat through clenched teeth. Rhea immediately grabbed Bilbo's arm and dragged him away, not meeting Kili's eyes. While Dakota growled lowly once more before following them slowly. Ash kept her eyes on Fili as his brother left him to go catch Rhea.

When Ash turned away finally to go cool off, Fili grabbed her bicep strongly and flipped her back around to face him. "Where are you going? We are not done."

"To bed Fili, let go of me. I'm not going to just stand here and listen to you scold me for being who I am." Ash jerked her arm away but Fili kept a tight hold.

"Where did that blood come from?"

Ash stared at him, her eyes cold. "A deer Fili. It came from a deer. You gonna tell me I'm a murderer now because I killed a deer? What's next?" Done with him holding her, she ripped her arm away. Fili's gaze stayed on hers.

"Why didn't you just tell us from the start?" He asked, tilting his head a little.

Dumbfounded at his stupidity, Ash dropped him a look. "Really? After how you treat us in wolf form and out. Saying we were going to kill something to eat as giant wolves in front of Elrond would be a disgrace. That's extra attention that could be avoided. Thorin probably wouldn't have let us go, and we would've starved to the breaking point."

Fili listened to her intently, and took a step closer. Ash took one back. "Are you afraid of what others besides us will think?"

"I am not afraid." Ash answered, green eyes sure. "But you are one of the many, who should understand how unforgiving this world can be to such monstrosities."

Fili's harsh expression seemed to have dropped at those words entirely. Ash's green eyes flickered one of pain from something he did not understand yet. "Ash.."

"I know I'm an animal. I'm not a lady. I'm not a warrior. I was a wolf before I was human. This I cannot deny." Ash continued. "But I am still here, protecting Bilbo, protecting my pack. I am here to help you, just like Bilbo wants. To return to your homeland that was taken from you. If you're here to insult me over and over about what I am, then you can take that simple-minded head of yours and stick it up your arse."

With that, Ash whipped around and walked quickly away. Fili calling out to her only to be ignored.

* * *

As Rhea and Dakota made it to where the dwarves were sleeping, they decided it would be a good time to go and wash their armor off. Leaving Bilbo, they walked up the stairs to find some sort of bath. Kili, who didn't reach Rhea in time, watched them slip away and onto the moonlit pathways. Sighing, he decided it'd be best to wait until she came back.

As they knew Ash would catch up, the girls didn't have a problem continuing on and searching around for some sort of fountain or anything. With no luck either way, they came under an open space before finding a hidden library of some sort.

"Oooh, this looks fun." Dakota peeped around with Rhea cautious behind her.

"Maybe we should turn around this doesn't look like a bathing area…" Rhea looked behind her out of habit someone was following them around or something.

"Oh come on, it's fun to snoop at night."

"Not when you're covered in animal blood and looking like assassins sneaking around." Rhea deadpanned, while Dakota rolled her eyes.

Suddenly, her sight caught onto some familiar figures up ahead. Unfortunately for her, Elrond had seen her at the exact same time. Giving her a small smirk from that far away, Rhea gave him a small wave of embarrassment.

Gandalf noticed them too, and tried hiding his hand telling them to go away. Which Dakota obliged to instantly, seeing that Thorin and Balin had their backs to them. Experiencing the King's reaction after seeing Fili's was not on her plate of verbal abuse tonight.

As she nodded and was about to turn around the dwarf king himself looked back behind him at where Gandalf's attention had gone to. Dakota met his eyes and she froze.

_Oh no._

Turning around very quickly, she grabbed Rhea's arm and began walking back where they had come from. "Why don't these ladies join us, I'm sure they are interested in this information as well." Elrond spoke up.

Dakota kept walking, praying nobody says anything from that. Gandalf did though, of course. "No, no, I'm sure they have had a long day, they probably want to bathe. Now where were we?"

"I also have some questions in exchange for this reading." Elrond spoke effortlessly, as if he wasn't trying to be demanding but wanted to somewhat blackmail the wizard into telling him what he invited into his home exactly.

Rhea looked back as Gandalf gave them a look of apologies as he had to answer to Elrond. But Thorin needed those answers from Elrond whether he was being stubborn about it or not, so Gandalf decided it would be best to agree to Elrond's terms.

He nodded to the king elf but Dakota kept dragging Rhea away. Not listening to any of them.

"Dakota!"

The bellow of Thorin was unmistakable and Dakota stopped, closing her eyes as she knew what was coming.

"Come here." He ordered. Dakota grumbled inwardly, and made a scowl on her expression before turning slightly around to look at Thorin. His blue eyes focused on her as he waited for her to obey.

"I don't want to." She rejected.

The elf, wizard, and Balin himself said nothing as they knew Thorin was taking charge of this one. So they simply observed.

"Come here, now." Thorin's tone was serious and Dakota knew she couldn't disrespect Elrond's wishes either. Gandalf even agreed to it so she knew she was outnumbered. Rhea gave her a look of sympathy, trying to help her feel better.

Putting her hand to her head in frustration, she slowly walked back up to where they were all standing. Thorin's gaze never faltering.

* * *

**Thank you for the recent favs/follows! Reeeeeeee**

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**Also thank you to Jilba25 and animefreak112097 for the reviews as well! Makes me feel awesome, I'm glad you're all enjoying this story. I fucking love writing it.**

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**-Pyrite**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"Our business is no concern of elves." Thorin clipped, his tone showing how distrustful he is to the elven king in front of him.

Gandalf, looking to be quite done with this pointless arguing kept pushing it, "For goodness sake, Thorin show him the map!"

Dakota and Rhea watched with curious eyes as the banter had been going back and forth for a good minute or two. Clearly the dwarf king was way too proud to notice that he had the only help they can afford standing right in front of him. Dakota wondered if he would ever be such a wise king in the end.

"It is the legacy of my people. It is mine to protect, as are its secrets." Thorin defended once more. His eyes cold and unnerving, he glanced over at Bilbo and the girls for a moment.

"Save me from the stubbornness of dwarves! Your pride, will be your downfall." Gandalf retorted.

"Wow who didn't see _that_ one coming?" Dakota huffed, crossing her arms.

Thorin and Balin both looked over at her, Thorin's expression rather annoyed at her words.

Dakota shrugged, "You stand here in front of one of the few people in Middle-Earth who can read that map, and you're refusing. How stupid are you?"

Bilbo hushed her quickly, telling her to be careful silently. Thorin straightened his back a little and glared at her, ice blue eyes sparking anger. "Watch your words in front of me."

"I'll watch them when you knock sense into yourself."

"Dakota, stop talking to me in that way and just stand there and listen. I wouldn't have you here either, or travelling with us. I wish for you to go back to the farthest hells where you came from. But here we are." Thorin's deep voice was laced with hatred, and Dakota narrowed her eyes.

"Just hand him the map then so we can all go back to ignoring each other and occasionally saving your sorry arse!" Dakota offered roughly, her shoulders feeling tense at Thorin's words.

"I'll hand him it if you be _quiet!_" Thorin raised his voice.

"I'll be quiet when I want to be!"

"Enough you animal!"

"Both of you need to keep it together!" Gandalf cut them off before it got any worse. Dakota blew out a frustrated breath as Thorin and her looked away from each other.

Rhea and Bilbo just watched with wide eyes and exchanged a look. This was definitely going nowhere if Dakota and Thorin were to never get along. At least Rhea and Ash were getting somewhere. Dakota seems to just piss the one very most important member of this company off every time they look at each other.

Thorin, in the moment, slowly took out the paper folded into his clothing. Balin tried to stop him, but Thorin held him back. He handed the paper over to the ever-patient Elrond. Gandalf nodded in relief that he decided to show him the map and waited for Elrond to translate.

Elrond looked at it briefly, "Erebor."

Thorin just gave him a guarded look, not saying anything.

"What is your interest in this map?" Elrond asked, eyes focused on the dwarf king. Before Thorin opened his mouth to speak Gandalf piped in,

"It's mainly academic." Thorin looked over at him. "As you know this sort of artifact contains hidden text."

Elrond simply looked back down at the map again and walked away slightly. Gandalf gave Thorin a wary look and he returned it with a low sigh. They knew lying wasn't going to help if the elves ever found out, and Rhea had a feeling Elrond was much smarter than he was letting on. She exchanged a look with Bilbo once more, his eyes ever curious themselves as well.

"You still read ancient dwarvish do you not?" Gandalf wondered hopefully.

Elrond seemed to be thinking about something and didn't answer, before he put the paper up to the moonlight. He made a sound of agreement and said something Rhea didn't quite catch.

"Ah, Moon Runes." Gandalf smiled in understanding. "Of course." When he looked over at Bilbo, him and Rhea gave the wizard odd confused looks like that phrase was supposed to mean something. Dakota wasn't even engaged anymore in the conversation going on around.

"Well in this case then it's true." Elrond stated, turning to them. "Moon runes can only be read by the light of a moon of the same shape and season as the day on which they were written."

Thorin stared at him, "Can you read them?"

As they all followed Elrond up the path and into an open balcony, the light of the moon was ever prominent and blissful as its rays shone through the waterfall. The night was clear and the air warm, perfect conditions for anyone to be satisfied in. Rhea knew she loved warm nights, especially when out hunting, the prey seems so eager to roam on beautiful skies.

Elrond told them exactly what moon was needed to be able to read the map, and he placed it onto a crystal table at the edge of the cliffside. "It would seem you were meant to come to Rivendell. Fate is with you Thorin Oakenshield, the same moon shines upon us tonight."

They all looked up at the moon peeking its way through a thin layer of cloud and hope was given as they did not have to wait for the proper day to come. Dakota stayed back behind Rhea and Bilbo and impatiently waited for them to finish. Her eyes cast elsewhere.

"Stand by the grey stone when the thrush knocks, and the setting sun with the last light of Durin's day will shine upon the keyhole." Elrond read, Thorin and Balin listening intently in. Thorin put his hand up to his beard, thinking.

"Durin's day?" Bilbo wondered, standing right next to Balin.

"It is the start of the dwarves' new year." Gandalf clarified.

"This is ill news." Thorin started, his eyes going to Balin across from him. "Summer is passing, Durin's day will soon be upon us."

Balin stepped up to him, "We still have time."

"Time for what?" Bilbo interrupted. Rhea blinked a few times and wondered if he forgot what entirely this mission is for.

"To find the entrance." Balin answered him respectfully, turning back to Thorin. "We have to be standing at exactly the right spot, at exactly the right time. Then and _only_ then, can the door be opened."

Dakota shook her head, how could they discuss this right in front of Elrond, the one person they were trying to avoid telling this entire time?

"So this is your purpose?" Elrond picked up on the conversation. Thorin dropped his arms in exasperation. "To enter the mountain."

Thorin gave him a dry look, "What of it?"

"There are some who would not deem it wise." Was all Elrond said, handing the map back over to Thorin who snatched it back aggressively.

"What do you mean?" Gandalf sounded concerned.

"You are not the only guardian to stand watch over Middle-Earth." Elrond responded, walking past Rhea and Bilbo on the way out. "I wish to speak to the girls at some time tomorrow if given the chance." He added, while Dakota snorted and Rhea politely nodded in return. She didn't want a rude impression on him and Dakota was certainly not helping.

Gandalf went to follow Elrond out while Balin and Bilbo went next. Rhea walked beside Dakota, speaking to her about her behavior recently, and trying to get her to understand how they can get Elrond to trust them if he finds out what they are. Thorin walked by Balin but didn't say much.

As they split off into where they were going to sleep, the girls had a separate sleeping area, as the dwarves mostly voted they don't be near them as much as possible. They were always like that on the road too, the girls ended up sleeping much further away while also insisting Bilbo stay warm by the fire.

Gandalf and Elrond said goodnights while the girls walked with Balin and Thorin to where the dwarves were laying rest for the night. Dakota and Rhea said goodnight to them (Dakota mostly to Balin) and headed off in a different direction to meet up with Ash.

"Dakota."

A soft deep voice sounded as she walked away, knowing Thorin would still like to speak to her about what events transpired earlier, she turned around and looked at him. His eyes seemed a bit troubled, like he was thinking of something else first, but he nodded to Balin to keep walking.

Balin gave him a sympathetic look, tapping Thorin's arm lightly. It must've meant something as Thorin nodded. Rhea wasn't called back and she knew they needed to talk some things out. However she wondered if it was safer to stay here and make sure Dakota didn't misbehave and tarnish their reputation more than it already is.

As if reading her mind, Dakota looked back at Rhea. While Rhea met her eyes then to Thorin's who was watching. He clarified for both of them before the question was asked,

"I'd like to just speak to Dakota, if that is alright." His voice seemed so much nicer than the usual, Rhea hoped he was beginning to treat them just as equally as the company. Or maybe just herself, she wasn't sure. He probably wasn't, not that fast at least.

Rhea nodded away from her thoughts and told Dakota she'll meet her there. Dakota patted her shoulder in comfort and watched her go.

When she looked back at Thorin, he was staring away at the dwarves below them, things clearly on his mind. But without even looking at her, he spoke. "Where did you run off to earlier?"

Dakota really was exhausted from the long day she already had, she really didn't want to start another argument and she took a calm page from Rhea's book and inhaled lightly. "We went hunting."

"That explains the blood on your armor." He noted, observing her for a moment. "You should have waited until we left. The hospitality of the elves only lasts for so long. They could have discovered you and what you were. That is a danger to us, and would have cost us greatly had Elrond changed his mind about keeping us here as guests."

Dakota, well aware of what they did, had no valid excuse. She just avoided his eyes and tried not to sound guilty. "We were starving, I don't think we could've lasted a few more days."

"It was still dangerous, and you should've told me."

"We told Gandalf." Dakota added defensively. Doesn't that count?

"You should've told me." He defined, his tone mildly scolding.

Dakota nodded, deciding against arguing her point to him, knowing exactly where it will lead. Thorin took a breath and sighed, satisfied by her silence.

"We have a long journey ahead of us. We are leaving here soon, can you last that long?" He looked over at her.

Dakota, still not meeting his eyes, replied, "We can last a few days actually. Don't need to concern yourself with it."

"It's concerning when you do it now, yes."

Dakota rolled her eyes, "I get it."

"Let's hope you do." He said more of an order than an agreement. After a moment of silence, Dakota was about to walk away from the tense king when he raised another question. "You will be sleeping soon?"

What an odd question. "Yes." She answered, a little confused by its purpose.

"You won't be wandering around snooping anymore?" Thorin gave her a look of knowing.

Dakota dropped her expression, "No…I need to wash the blood off my armor. If you'll excuse me."

She didn't wait to see his disgusted reaction as she walked away, towards Ash and Rhea who were probably somewhat bathing at this point. Clean water sounded so good right now.

* * *

The next day, while the girls were sitting in their room area talking, Bilbo told them he was gonna go for a walk around. The girls decided after a bit of sitting there that that wouldn't be such a bad idea, since they were bored anyways.

They all walked together, talking and discussing last nights events. Ash told them about Fili while Rhea and Dakota filled her in on the dwarf map and the moon runes. Dakota also telling them what Thorin wanted after Rhea had left. Having so much to catch up on, they didn't realize at all where they were going, and simply just gazed briefly on the decorative things around them.

Bilbo could be seen at the top of one of the balconies, his small form but a mere ant compared to the structures towering over. Elrond looked to have joined him and they had a small conversation to each other, eventually looking down at the three girls chatting away, occasionally swatting each other's arms or shoving the other playfully.

"Not with your companions?" Elrond asked Bilbo as he came up. While Bilbo just watched the girls from above. He glanced at Elrond,

"I shan't be missed." He assured him.

Elrond looked at the hobbit a little concerned. Bilbo continued, "The truth is most of them don't think I should be on this journey. The girls especially are having a hard time fitting in."

Elrond nodded understanding, gazing down at them as well. "Indeed. I've heard that hobbits are very resilient."

Bilbo laughed, and switched his gaze back up to the elven king, realizing he was completely serious. "Really?"

Elrond hummed in response. "I've also heard they're fond of the comforts of home." He looked down at Bilbo lightly.

Bilbo nodded and looked around, knowing that's true. "Yes well, I brought some of home with me."

Elrond looked down at the girls again. "They are very close with you."

Bilbo smiled a little proudly at that, "They are my girls. They make me feel safe, even with other company."

"They are not human though, are they." Elrond stated rhetorically, not looking back. He didn't sound angry or even upset, just curious.

Bilbo didn't like answering that question that way. Many folk who gave the girls a chance before completely changed their mind when they found out how different they were, looking at them like disgusting abominations. It pulled Bilbo's heart to see them so isolated from this world.

Elrond took Bilbo's silence as an answer. "I would assume they make the better companions though."

Bilbo smiled at his light take on the matter and nodded once, "They have so much to give. I wish others saw them the way I do, their souls are just as pure."

The elven king made a noise of agreement, smiling slightly down at the hobbit. His wonder over what they really are never coming up in questions and instead, just put a hand on Bilbo's shoulder. "You are very welcome to stay here, if that is your wish."

Bilbo took that in and watched him go before seeing his girls once more down below, laughing at Ash from something she said. He smiled too, not even knowing what it was about.

* * *

Later that night, the dwarves were all relaxed with their undergarments beside a fire they made with wooden chairs. Cooking some broccoli, Bifur had put on a stick, he waited patiently for it to burn properly. While Bofur grabbed a tiny sausage he was roasting, and observed it, not very impressed. Bombour sitting on a stool nearby was still stuffing himself with whatever food he found eatable.

Getting an idea, Bofur grabbed the sausage, "Bombour."

Throwing it at him, the massive dwarf caught it and the entire bench collapsed onto the ground with a big thud. Bursting out laughing all the dwarves rolled over or spit out their pipes. Continuing on with the night with jokes and banter.

Rhea laughed a little as she came up to the company, seeing Bombour try and roll himself up. Feeling sorry for him, she jogged over and helped tip him upside so that he wouldn't struggle. Easily lifting him, she picked off a few pieces of food from him that had fallen on him as he dropped.

Bombour smiled gratefully at her as the dwarves noticed her presence as she helped him up. Bombour offered some food to her that wasn't squashed but Rhea shook her head, saying thank you anyways. She wasn't going to stay, most of them didn't want her company. She just came here to deliver a message from Gandalf before he went to talk with Elrond.

Kili stood up from where he sat instantly, "Rhea!"

She jumped a little, looking over at him. "Hey Kili." She replied with a smile.

"What are you doing here?" He almost seemed excited for some odd reason, Rhea wondered if it was the smoke pipe.

"I uh-"

"Actually, let's talk over here, the others want to discuss really gross subjects a lady should not hear." Kili motioned for her to come with him to the other side of the platform. Rhea's expression looked a little startled.

She wondered if he was making fun of her. "I'm not a lady Kili. You know this."

Kili saw her expression and smiled, standing in front of her. "I know Rhea."

She eyed him closer, "You're not…looking bothered by that. Are you on something?" She snatched his pipe and inspected it.

Kili gently put her hands down and chuckled. "No, I just-"

He seemed a bit lost for words and Rhea tilted her head to gaze at him curiously. Kili met her eyes, those amazingly, wonderfully, perfectly colored hazel eyes. With a hint of yellow in the middle, her wolf just barely showing itself. It was mesmerizing…

Rhea blinked and Kili snapped out of it. "I just feel more comfortable around you is all. I don't want you to worry about who you are. With me at least." He played around with his own hands a little, looking nervous. Rhea was bemused more than the usual when it came to the dwarves and their actions, this time almost ten-fold. But what he said made her feel better overall.

"I'm really glad to hear that. I want you to feel like you can trust us. I mean, you do trust Ash and Dakota too right?" She asked, hoping he would say yes. It wasn't just her she wanted them to trust, her packmates deserved it too.

"Well, yes." Kili slightly looked away and Rhea caught it.

"It's okay to be honest with me Kili." She spoke calmly, not giving a sign of disappointment. Although she knew what was coming anyways, no matter her hopes.

Kili brightened at her tone of voice, before answering honestly. "I may not trust Dakota as much as you and Ash. She…scares me."

Rhea laughed at that, scrunching her nose a bit. Kili smiled at her reaction wondering what was so funny.

Rhea wiped her eyes after a good moment of giggles, "She scares me too."

Kili laughed more at that as they both cackled.

When they were done, Kili looked at her again. "So what is this message Gandalf had?"

"He wanted me to tell you to leave before sunrise. Something is going to happen if we stay. He told Thorin too but I'm not sure where he went." She looked around but still the king wasn't anywhere nearby. Kili nodded, taking that information in.

"Did he say what exactly was going to happen?"

Rhea shook her head, "No, sorry."

"That's okay. Thanks Rhea." Kili gave her a winning grin once more, and Rhea felt very proud of herself. She managed to get one of the dwarves to trust her! She couldn't wait to tell Ash and Dakota that hope wasn't all lost. They both had difficult nights with two of the dwarvin royalties and were pretty skeptical.

Rhea nodded to him and was about to head back when Kili stopped her, standing in her way. "Would you like to sit with us?" His brown eyes hopeful.

Rhea reveled at the thought of hanging with the company, wanting to hear stories and exchange jokes. She wanted to hear everything about them and what they've all been through, even what Erebor used to be like back in the day.

"That…sounds lovely Kili but-" She stopped, knowing she's said this before. Kili however didn't mind and grabbed her hand.

"Come on, they'll get used to it I'm sure. You can't gain their trust by hiding away all the time." He assured, pulling her gently along as Rhea couldn't stop feeling the sickness in her stomach of some sort as Kili held her hand.

"O-Okay." She mumbled. Sitting down on the bench Kili was sitting on. He stretched his legs out again as Rhea sat stiffly near his side. Fili's expression was blank as he observed the two, his brother giving him a wink at his accomplishment from the side. Fili shook his head slowly and smoked his pipe some more.

Bilbo had already left the group some time ago, not feeling like hanging around as he went up the stairs a bit away from them. He was going to meet Dakota and Ash nearby as well. Not before long though, he heard the familiar voices of Gandalf and Elrond talking about the mountain just down the balcony.

He stopped, his curiosity getting the better of him as he listened in on their conversation. Talking about the risks of taking back the mountain, and how their defenses would increase tremendously in the East.

Elrond kept warning him about the dangers of waking the beast up, while Gandalf said it was wrong to tear the throne away from Thorin, as it was his birthright.

Bilbo felt the presence of another person behind him and looked back to see Thorin listening in on this conversation as well. He met his eyes briefly before turning back around.

Dakota came up from behind the balcony on the other side and was about to call out to Bilbo when she saw Thorin standing behind him. They both were focused on the words of Gandalf and Elrond below. She wondered what that was about and stayed silent too.

"What is it you fear?" Gandalf questioned him, not understanding the worry.

"Have you forgotten? A strain of madness runs deep in that family." Elrond reminded him. "His grandfather lost his mind. His father succumbed to the same sickness. Can you swear, Thorin Oakenshield will not also fall?"

At that, Bilbo couldn't bear to look behind him, but Dakota saw Thorin's face. He turned away, his blue eyes filled with thoughts overwhelming. She watched as he stood there, hearing somebody else say this out loud, about the sickness. Something about it sounded like a knife in the heart of hope. Dakota let a small amount of sympathy escape her eyes expression, as she figured it must be hard wanting to claim something that belongs to you, only to fear it will make you sick.

Which is exactly what Thorin was feeling, as he slightly looked up to where she was standing and met her eyes. Her silver gaze somewhat giving solace, as he quickly looked away. Features hardening, he walked back down the steps. Bilbo looking after him solemnly. Dakota knew the king just didn't want pity, that's not who he is, and for the first time she understood the maddening and frustrating dwarf just a bit more.

* * *

**Thank you for the follow/favs I got recently! Also thank you to the reviews as well, I appreciate that so much. **

**Keep those reviews coming, I love hearing what you guys think of it so far.**

**Also, I'm curious, who's your favorite OC in the story so far? Let me know!**

**-Pyrite**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"Mithrandir?" Galadriel asks before he leaves. Gandalf turns to her. "Why the halfling? Why the wolves?"

Gandalf took a moment to think for it, but really, he didn't have much to think about. "I do not know. Saruman believes it is only great power that can hold evil in check. But that is not what I found."

Galadriel watches him as he continues. "I found it is the small things. Everyday deeds of ordinary folk, that keeps the darkness at bay. Simple acts of kindness and love. Why Bilbo?" He chuckles to himself. "Perhaps it is because I am afraid. The wolves, along with him, they give me courage. The way they are loyal, and fierce, yet somehow still manage to show gentleness as such creatures. It gives me hope, like I've never felt before. Hope that with them, perhaps we can defeat any darkness that shows in our journey."

* * *

As the group climbed up the side of the mountain, the sunrise just beginning to show its rays, Thorin took the lead with his axe in his right hand. "Be on your guard. We are about to step over the edge of the wild."

Right as he spoke, Ash ran right into the back of Rhea, not even watching where she was going. "Ow…" She held her nose.

Rhea turned around to look at her with worry and small amount of humor, "Ash be careful. Are you awake?"

"No." Ash mumbled, still holding the bridge of her nose. "This sucks waking up this early, I barely slept…"

"You'll wake up soon, come on, we got this." Rhea grabbed her shoulder encouragingly and moved onwards, a half-asleep Ash nodded and followed after. Dakota was more up front next to Bilbo, not doing much better as her nights sleep was cut short from vivid dreams as well.

Thorin stopped where he was and waited as the line of dwarves past him, using his axe as a placement for his arms. "Balin, you know these paths lead on." He motioned for the older dwarf to lead and Balin muttered an 'aye' as he passed.

Bilbo stopped just a bit away and stared longingly down at Rivendell, taking a moment to miss the safety of that place. He also remembered the offer Lord Elrond had given him, and briefly wondered how it would've been staying where you are welcome rather than with a company of dwarves that don't really appreciate you.

Thorin watched him from where he stood, seeing him pause. "Master Baggins."

Dakota stopped right before Thorin and just now noticed Bilbo had not come with her. She wondered herself if he truly was missing being safe in such a beautiful place. No matter what though, she wanted to make sure he felt safe with her and his girls on the road too.

"I suggest you keep up." Thorin finished, earning a nod from Bilbo who was panting already from the hike. Thorin nodded to him as Dakota waited for the hobbit to catch up to her again.

"I'll make sure you keep up Bilbo, no worries." She comforted him as he reached her. Thorin overheard that next to her and gave her an unconvinced look. She scowled at him and dared him to argue with her eyes. Instead he just turned around and walked up to Dwalin, conversing.

They went up the mountain and through the forest as Balin had led them through. Eventually Thorin taking the lead again, staying on course as the company followed single file behind him.

As they traveled far and wide, through the plains of the mountain valley. The girls took the opportunity to shift into their wolves to go hunting while they could still find the company easily from afar. They drifted off into the woods and shifted privately as they think the dwarves still found fear in what they were. From a distance though, Gloin and Oin for the first time saw Ash in her wolf form, nudging Fili and Kili behind them to notify.

Curiously, Fili peered through the shadows of the forest next to them and for a split moment was able to see the familiar pelts of Rhea and Dakota. Another fell quickly in step next to them and shook its massive head, ears flapping. It turned its gaze a bit behind itself, and Fili saw her emerald eyes look around the surroundings. Her ash-grey fur was dark enough to look like a shadow right next to the pine trees, her eyes a brighter and more vibrant green than the needles and leaves encompassing the massive wolves. For it was just a moment, and they disappeared within the undergrowth.

As they hunted, they came back as humans before the company saw their wolves again. This time a little less bloody as they weren't starving as much.

As they company traveled on, they came across a rocky cave, with a massive overhang and waterfalls pouring from each side. They walked underneath and behind the water a bit still following Thorin.

"Oh! A bath! Can we go in Bilbo?" Rhea pleaded from behind him, her hazel eyes hopeful.

"You want to bathe? Right now?" Gloin asked incredulously, as they didn't really have the time.

Ash jumped up onto a higher rock and looked at the water. "Well….it'll be quick. Can we Bilbo?" She also gave the hobbit pleading eyes, the green irises sparking adventure.

"We don't have time to wash. Get a move on." Dwalin grumbled from up front, stopping to look at them with a scowl.

Dakota, always one to challenge, suddenly stopped walking and glared up at him. Before turning around to silently ask permission from Bilbo as well. Habit from all three of them to do that.

Bilbo looked indecisive and kept stealing glances over at Thorin who was not paying attention and kept moving. Finally he sighed and nodded, "Alright, do it as your wolves please."

"Bilbo, like we would even have thought about that." Ash smiled playfully.

As the dwarves kept walking past, the girls giggled and ran up to the edge of the cliff and jumped. Ash doing a side flip as she shifted right before she hit the water. Rhea and Dakota doing their own backflips laughing as they shifted and crashed into the water.

As their massive wolf forms they splashed each other and dunked one another. Some of the company had even stopped to watch them, smiles and laughs forming slowly as they watched the girls thoroughly enjoy themselves. Seeing such beasts having fun was actually refreshing to their usual demeanor.

As they played, they made sure to get their whole body dunked and washed from blood. Dakota bit Ash in the ear and thrust her head down into the water, while Rhea grabbed Ash's hindleg so they could work together to flip her over.

Ash burst up from being under and went to go tackle Rhea and Dakota, her mouth open and wide like she was smiling. More of the dwarves laughed and cheered as they played roughly with each other, putting bets on one or the other to see who would win the tackle. Thorin himself had paused and somewhat watched them. Balin looked amused and was chuckling next to him as Rhea got flipped onto her back.

"They really know how to bring the fun in places you wouldn't imagine." Balin stated, still smiling down at them. Dwalin grunted while Thorin said nothing, just watched. The cool breeze and the light mist from the water feeling nice for a moment as they traveled so far in the sun a lot already.

As the girls got up from a good playing, Thorin bellowed out to the group that it was time to move on again. When Rhea climbed back up and onto the pathway, she shook herself right next to Bifur, Bofur, Bombour, Fili and Kili, getting them all a few droplets onto them. Laughing and swiping the water away the dwarves were able to get a much closer look at her. Kili smiled up at Rhea, who looked down at him, her hazel eyes shining as if she was laughing too at her little joke.

Kili though stepped a little closer, his cheeky grin never faltering. Rhea watched him closely, wondering what he was doing.

'_What's he doing?'_ Ash asked cautiously through the link they shared as packmates.

'_I don't know. You think he'll touch me?'_ Rhea began to take step back. A little wary on someone else touching her. Nobody really does, except for Bilbo a few times but even then, they aren't really ones for affection in their wolf forms.

Kili just kept his eyes on her, examining her body all over, from her ears to her tail. The cream-colored fur had some brown spots up her legs that could barely be seen wet. She also had slight brown coloring on the tips of her ears. Rhea slightly put her ears back a little, glancing up at the dwarves and back to Kili.

"Be careful brother." Fili warned, looking ready to snatch his sibling at any moment had Rhea reacted badly. She even looked nervous.

Kili saw Dakota from the other side get out of the water and shake a little, looking over at Rhea with silver eyes slightly narrowed. But Kili didn't care, he wanted to touch Rhea in her wolf form, she was magnificent when seen in a different light.

'_Rhea don't let him.'_ Dakota growled quietly from behind her. Eyeing the dwarf suspiciously.

Rhea knew Kili was just curious, he wouldn't do anything to harm her right? The dwarves were all watching in awe as Kili got a bit closer, waiting to see what she would do. Rhea felt herself tense as Kili's hand went up slowly, reaching for her. She wanted him to trust her, but petting was a totally different level, she wasn't sure if she was ready for that. Sure they've tried to get the dwarves comfortable around their wolves, but maybe one step at a time.

'_Rhea'_ Ash snapped her jaws quickly showing her that it was not okay.

Rhea shook her head and turned away from Kili, padding away to Dakota.

_Not today._ She thought to herself. _Maybe one day._

Kili dropped his arm in slight disappointment, but was rather pleased she let him have a good look at her. They usually kept it quick whenever they shifted, or they were in a battle with trolls or wargs. Fili walked up next to his brother and patted his shoulder, chuckling a little and shaking his head.

"You are crazy!" Bofur shoved his shoulder as he walked past, the others following as Kili smirked at them.

"I was so close though." He replied, catching up.

* * *

They walked higher up into the mountains, the girls conversing with some of the dwarves the entire way there. Even Dakota was having a decent talk with Nori and Ori, who asked her many questions about life being an animal. They seemed to relax even more around her as she lightly let them ask away and was even replying nicely and informatively. Ash was proud of how far she had come from her wall of defense she usually has to strangers. This was a good step.

Ash was listening in to one of Balin's stories back in the old days of Erebor, and she absolutely loved every minute of it. Whenever he paused and mumbled off saying she probably didn't want to hear anything from an old warrior, she interrupted him and told him that she loved hearing about it and to keep going. Smiling at her, Balin continued while Ash listened with eagerness.

Rhea was just behind them with Bilbo, they were joking around with Bofur while he told them a funny story of some terrible dishes Bombour had cooked up. Bombour defended himself though several times in the middle of Bofur's story making Rhea laugh as Bofur told him how aweful some of the mixtures were.

She sometimes caught the eye of Fili and Kili walking the rear of the group, and Kili would occasionally send her shakes of his head to their stories or Fili would mouth 'that's a lie'. Rhea would giggle at them from time to time.

As they kept walking through the mountains ever higher, the company followed Thorin on the path that lead them deeper into the rocks. They eventually were walking on such a small path, they had to stay single file.

It started to rain about an hour ago, and it's picked up tremendously since they began on this path. Now it was pattering against their hoods, drenching them completely. The girls didn't have hoods so they were basically stuck with soaked hair and faces. Not that the dwarves who had hoods were doing any better. The rain was getting through the skin itself it felt like, whapping against their faces, the wind not helping by exposing their bodies to the cold.

Thorin, still in the lead looked back frequently to make sure none of the company had blown away. "Hold on!" He yelled above the noise of rain and thunder.

Ash pressed herself up against the cliff rocks, trying to get a good view if this path ever ended, but it seemed to go on forever through the clouds. She held onto Bilbo ahead of her, keeping him close and helping him on his feet if he ever slipped. With no shoes, he actually slipped quite a lot.

As they were walking, Bilbo looked up from where he was going and some rocks fell out from under him, causing him to lose his balance and swing his arms backwards like a maniac. Ash shot her arm out and caught his backpack, while Dwalin on the other side pushed the hobbit back to the cliff face. Securing him safely and checking to make sure he didn't harm himself, Ash gave a nod of gratitude to Dwalin. He returned it slightly before starting moving again.

"We must find shelter!" Thorin shouted from the front. Ash looked around but like she saw earlier, there was no cave to be found nearby, just an endless path.

"We have to keep going." She stated, more to herself. Bilbo nodded though, still a little frazzled from his almost near-death experience. "This storm isn't going to go away soon. We have to move."

While the company had stopped, Dwalin suddenly shouted, "Look out!"

Whipping her head around, Ash saw a massive boulder, a good-sized chunk from another mountain, fly over the drop and crash into the rocks just above the company. As it shattered, it sent bit and pieces crumbling to the bottom just barely missing their heads.

Ash covered Bilbo as much as she could, getting a few rocks bumping across her back as she did so. Not enough to cause major pain though.

"This is no thunder storm! It's a thunder battle!" Balin told them, raising his voice above the cracks of lightning. Ash looked around her once more to see the monster of rocks rise above where it's head was resting.

"You what?!" She shouted in disbelief. "There's giant rock men? What's next?!"

"Well bless me! The legends are true! Giants! Stone giants!" Bofur declared as the giant tossed yet another rock back at the cliff they were all struggling to stand on.

Dakota ducked as more rocks fell and tumbled down over them, "How do we fight that?" She yelled, knowing they really couldn't. Ash shook her head watching as yet another giant rose to it's feet, taking the fire from the previous one right in the face.

"Take cover you fool!" Thorin ordered to Bofur who was standing on the edge watching the whole thing. Rhea grabbed him and pulled him back up against the wall.

"Everybody hold on!" Dwalin pressed himself along with Bilbo as much as they could up against the wall. Kili and Fili next to Rhea were suddenly moving apart as the ground under them split open. Rhea grabbed Kili and pulled him to the side as he stumbled backwards.

Fili reached out for his brother, "Kili! Take my hand!" But they were already too far apart as they looked at each other in fear watching the distance between them grow.

The giants legs they were now victims to stood up and started fighting the other giants as well. Shaking them around and flinging them back and forth as it moved, they were barely hanging onto their balance. When the leg that Dakota and Rhea were on swung over to the side, Thorin charged off of it and jumped to safety, the others following quickly as the leg rolled back up again.

Turning back around, Dakota watched as the other group on the giants other leg was swung around backwards. The stone giants head knocked clean off its shoulders as its body fell slowly to the bottom of the chasm. As it fell, the leg swooped in front of them, showing the terrified faces of Bilbo and the rest of the company, hanging on for dear life. Ash was struggling to keep Bilbo safe as she too was slipping herself.

"Ash! Hang on!" Dakota shouted to her, hoping she heard. With much despair though, the leg bent over and crashed into the side of the mountain, looking like it just about squashed all its unwilling passengers into the rockface.

"No!" Thorin rejected, watching the giant fall to its doom before running around the crevice, "No! Fili!"

Mortified, Dakota felt her heart skip into her throat. "Ash! Bilbo?!" Rhea screamed their names too, her voice choking as they tried to reach the front behind Thorin.

As they made it to where the dwarves landed, Thorin stopped as he saw the shaken faces of the still alive dwarves. He released a breath of relief and leaned up against the rock, seeing everyone was still okay. "It's alright, they're alive!" Balin informed the rest of the party that couldn't see.

Dakota and Rhea shoved past them all and saw Ash grumbling with a hand to her head as she got up from landing next to Bombour. Relieved beyond words they ran up to her and Rhea tackle hugged her.

"Ow!" Ash jumped as she clearly was a little sore from hitting her head. Rhea apologized quickly and checked her for more wounds. Dakota held the back of Ash's head to check for blood but it seemed okay. Thorin was going around checking the others as well until Bofur frantically looked around like he lost something.

"Where's Bilbo?" He asked. "Where's the hobbit?"

Dakota stood up straight and looked around, eyes searching. "Bilbo?"

"There!"

Ori slid down and attempted to grab Bilbo who was dangerously handing from the edge of the cliff, the rain forcing his hands to slip. Ori's sudden movement caused him to drop an entire ledge down and Dakota sprang into action. Running over Bofur and Ori who were trying to grab onto him, she slid down the other side and landed on a little ledge right next to him. Using her strength she tried to hoist him upwards with one arm.

Luckily, Thorin was also nearby and jumped down to the other side, grabbing Bilbo's pack and helping Dakota shove him above to safety.

Just as Thorin was about to climb up the rain forced his grip to slip off and he fell a good foot before Dakota reached out and gripped his forearm. Dwalin was leaning just above, putting his hand down far enough so Thorin could reach. Dakota had to haul the king himself up high enough though for him to do that. After taking a deep breath she used all her strength in her arm and almost propelled Thorin right into Dwalin, who grabbed him with both hands and pulled him up. With much grunting, Thorin got to his feet turning around to help Dakota who already climbed onto the edge by herself.

Heaving, Bilbo stayed put on the ground next to Bofur, a grateful but shaky nod he gave to Dakota who was getting to her feet. Rhea came over to check on Bilbo as well, but she also gave some minor checks on Bofur and Ori, making sure nothing was broken or bloody. They both gave her nods that they were okay.

"I thought we lost our burglar." Dwalin admitted, catching his breath. Dakota never knew the stubborn oaf cared so much for Bilbo, so she gave him a skeptic side glance.

Thorin looked over his shoulder at the hobbit who was now staring at him. Dakota kneeling right in front of him. "He's been lost, ever since he left home. They should never have come."

Dakota's silver eyes flashed fury up at him, and Thorin's prideful expression certainly didn't help. "That's not fair and you know it." She growled menacingly.

"It's the truth." He stated, walking away. Dakota wasn't having that.

"Next time you fall off a cliff save yourself then!" She spat. Thorin turned around to look at her, hair soaked and flying into his face. His blue eyes glaring. "You're an ungrateful little leech that soaks up everything that's been good to you, then spits it out like poison right back into our faces. What kind of a leader are you?"

Dakota's searing gaze was interrupted by Bofur who stood up in front of her, trying to stop whatever was coming next apparently. Bilbo just sat there, a little hurt by what Thorin had said while Rhea told Dakota to keep her tongue in check.

Ash had gotten up and was helping Fili pull Bombour to his feet, when she saw Thorin stomp away calling for Dwalin to follow. When she looked back over to Dakota she could almost feel the anger pulsing from her and knew exactly why Thorin looked so angry now. Fili caught her gaze and looked to Rhea and Dakota as well, then back to Ash who was shaking her head in disappointment.

When Bombour was on his feet, Fili pulled on Ash's arm a little, realizing she had her hand to her head again. She stopped but didn't really look at him as she tried hiding her pain.

"Are you okay?" Fili asked genuinely.

Ash nodded, "Yeah."

He put a hand to the back of her head gently. Ash flinched a little at that and closed her eyes as it pinched. Fili saw the company head inside of a hidden cave that opened up from the stone giants leg hitting it and brought Ash with him inside too.

When they were dry and safe inside, Fili put his attention back on the girl next to him. She didn't seem to be rejecting him a lot right now, or saying anything harsh because of their previous talks, so he guessed it must really hurt.

He put his hand on the back of her head again, using his other hand to hold her shoulder. When he put a little pressure Ash winced and brought a hand up to his on instinct, her grip was tight but she relaxed a moment after.

"Sorry." She muttered, rolling her neck a little to maybe stretch it out.

"You might have bruised it, I don't feel any blood." Fili observed, taking a step closer to look around her head, inconspicuously running a gentle hand through her smooth but soaked hair. Ash opened her eyes and just now realized how close his chest was to her face, and she looked up at him slightly, seeing his brows furrowed in concentration.

"Surprised you're touching me. Wasn't I an abomination like a day or two ago for you?" She lightly joked, however that was entirely true. She wondered what changed his mind.

Fili smirked a little, his traditional move, "You should concern yourself with Dakota possibly being thrown across the cliff just outside due to how she talks to my uncle."

Ash huffed a slight laugh, "Yeah well he deserved that one."

Forgetting who she was talking to she instantly regretted saying that out loud. When she noticed Fili looking down at her she mumbled 'sorry' again and remained quiet. Fili just shook his head and smiled a little, removing his hand from her hair. As he did so he subconsciously smoothed it back down again and brushed a strand from her cheek. Ash got a little startled at his gesture, but admitted to herself that it was a nice feeling even though it wouldn't last long.

As Dwalin checked the entire cave to make sure it was clear, Gloin dropped some wood on the ground and rubbed his hands together, "Right! Let's get a fire started-"

"No. No fires, not in this place." Thorin instructed, walking around him. "Get some sleep. We start at first light."

Dakota came up to check on Ash, giving an untrusting look to Fili near her, making him walk away with a slight nod to them before going to Gloin.

Rhea went over to Kili and checked him over too, like she was with most of the dwarves, along with Oin. "Anything broken?" She asked, her hazel eyes worried.

Kili gave her a winning grin, "Me? Never."

She rolled her eyes, "Kili even you can get hurt." She tried not to smile.

He shook his head proudly, "Nah. I didn't even fall."

"Just checking anyways tough guy." She teased, nudging his shoulder with her own.

"We were to wait in the mountains until Gandalf joined us. That was the plan." Balin reminded Thorin.

Thorin looked at him, "Plans change." He replied, then addressed the nearest dwarf. "Bofur! Take the first watch." Bofur nodded, although he looked thoroughly unmotivated for it, because he was probably exhausted from the days trek like they all were. Lucky for Rhea, she had wolf blood in her veins and was able to stay up much later and need less sleep than they did. So she had an idea.

"I can help Bofur keep watch." She offered, Thorin and Balin turning to look at her. Thorin was ready to object when Balin spoke first,

"Wonderful! Two is better than one I always say." Balin put his hands on his hips while Thorin looked over the old dwarf like he couldn't believe he would just allow that. Nonetheless the king said nothing more about it.

Kili however didn't like that idea, "No way, you shouldn't have to stay up to." He turned to face her.

Rhea just shrugged, "No big deal Kili, I'm used to staying up later. It's a wolf thing."

Kili seemed unconvinced. "You traveled as far as we did today too, you must be tired as well." He lowered his voice quietly. She reached forward and squeezed his bicep comfortingly,

"Kili, I promise I'll be fine. I can even ask Dakota and Ash to switch out with me too."

"You think Dakota will want to look out for us after what my uncle says to her?" Kili asked honestly, knowing they have been arguing more openly these past few days.

Rhea laughed, "If anybody is loyal to the bone here, it's Dakota. She won't let me down if I need a break."

"Not Dakota. I allowed you." Thorin interrupted, glancing down at Rhea's hand on Kili. She took it away almost instantly.

"Bite me." Dakota hissed from where she sat next to Bilbo, clearly overhearing. Thorin sighed and looked over at her.

"You hear or see anything, you wake me up first." Thorin ordered Rhea, switching his gaze to her. Rhea nodded,

"Don't worry Thorin, I can smell a rotten orc coming up from the bottom of the mountain. Nothing is sneaking past me." She tried giving him a reassuring smile, confidently. Thorin just nodded and walked away, leaving her with Kili once more as the dwarves all got settled around them.

"Get some sleep Kili, I got this." She motioned for him to lay down where his brother was waiting.

Kili was about to step away when he froze then came back and grabbed her hand. A little startled at this move, Rhea looked up at him not taking her hand out of his. When he spoke it was quiet enough for only her to hear,

"Why wouldn't you let me touch you as a wolf?" His brown eyes seemed not really upset, but maybe a touch sad? Rhea felt her heart lurch at his face.

"It's different Kili. Holding my hand or touching me as a person is kind of what people do. When you're a wild animal…you're not really supposed to be touched like that. It's a trust thing, you have to earn it." She told him gently, trying to explain.

"You don't trust me now?" Kili teased, smiling a little.

"No, it's not that. It's an instinct, kind of natural I guess? It's…really hard to explain I'm doing a horrible job." She nervously rubbed the back of her neck and looked down. Kili brought her chin back up with his hand.

"You're doing great. I really like you being honest with me." He winked at her and she softly laughed. "I'll earn that trust someday, just you wait."

"Is that so?" She quirked an eyebrow.

Kili nodded, his playful side showing more. He brought her hand up and he quickly kissed the top of it before leaving her to go sleep next to Fili.

Feeling that weird sickness in her stomach again she put a hand to it and made a bemused face before going over to Bofur to stand watch with him. Hopefully it'll be a peaceful night.

* * *

**Thanks for the reviews I got from last chapter :P**

**Please let me know how this chapter was too, it's a good motivator. I've had a shit ton of bio homework I'm actually going to murder a turkey.**

**No I'm not turkeys are cool.**

**That's all I got okay bye **

**-Pyrite**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

As the night dragged on a little, all the dwarves had fallen deep asleep on their own beddings they made. Ash was laying on her stomach next to Bilbo while Dakota had laid down on her side, using her arm as a pillow. The others were snoring and leaning up against the cave walls with as much comfort as they could muster up with their belongings.

Rhea was going to sharpen her blades but thought otherwise as the noise would certainly wake up the dwarves. Let alone her packmates as their hearing was more perceptive than most of them combined, even in human form. Instead, she sat next to Bofur quietly, just enjoying his company while she somewhat tried to fix some straps on her leather.

Right as she was strapping a piece of her boot a little tighter she heard some nervous breathing coming up close. Bilbo's heartbeat was loud in her ears, and she wondered if he was having a bad dream.

However that was not the case as somehow Bilbo managed to not wake up the girls and get completely packed up again, using his stick to gently walk over the snoring dwarves around him. She furrowed her brows in confusion, seeming to know exactly what he was doing, but why the heck was he doing it?

"Where do you think you're going?" Bofur spoke up before Rhea could fully process that Bilbo looked like he was about to leave them. When the hobbit turned around he saw Bofur and then met Rhea with guilty eyes.

"Back to Rivendell." He answered, watching the look on Rhea's face drop to sadness. She stood up from where she sat and faced him, remembering to keep her voice low even though she wanted to cry out and shake him off of this idea.

"Bilbo why would you want to do that? Why wouldn't you wake the girls? We would go with you!" She whispered, giving him a look of despair. Bilbo looked like he was already regretting it so much.

He shook his head at her, glancing at Bofur who stood next to her. "That's why I didn't tell you. You need to stay with the company, they need you more than me."

"Don't be ridiculous, I wouldn't stay here if you weren't. We only came to protect you, why would you not want us with you?"

"That's not the reason, I do want you with me. But this journey seems too dangerous for me, I can't handle it I only make things worse or slow them down." Bilbo sighed, trying to convince her that he was just a burden.

Rhea shook her head somberly, looking at him with watering pools of hazel. Bofur stepped in this time, "You can't turn back now. You're part of the company, just like Rhea. You're one of us."

Rhea stopped herself from swelling at the fact that Bofur accepted her so much and instead just kept her seriousness in front if Bilbo. She understood why he felt left out, but to leave the girls behind? They only came because of him and he knew that!

Bilbo gave him an exasperated look, "I'm not now am I."

"Don't say such things Bilbo." Rhea warned lightly. If they can somehow get accepted by some, Bilbo must've won some hearts too. Bofur is fighting for him, can't he see that?

"You heard what Thorin said. He said I should never have come and he was right." Bilbo added, shrugging like it was that easy.

Rhea shook her head again, "He said all of us shouldn't have come, not just you. Me and Ash and Dakota too. We are still here though, these dwarves need us. They need you!"

"You're homesick, I understand." Bofur chimed in too, agreeing with Rhea with a couple nods.

"No! No you don't you're dwarves!" Bilbo explained. "You're used to this life to living on the road never settling in one place, not belonging anywhere!"

Bofur just stared at him, and Rhea widened her eyes at Bilbo's audacity. How could he say that after what the dwarves clearly have been through just to have a proper home. They were going on this mission to get their home back, because it was stolen from them. Rhea can't imagine Bag End being taken from her by force, she would be devastated.

Bilbo, watching Rhea give him a shocked reaction, realized what he just said and looked down. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't…" He couldn't finish and recover properly from what he just said to Bofur.

The dwarf though just stood there, his expression dropping. Rhea feeling really bad for him and what he must be feeling, raised an arm and put it lightly on his back. Bofur looked down a little, "No, you're right."

"Bofur-" Rhea tried interjecting.

"He's right." Bofur looked at her with sadness before looking around at all the dwarves sleeping. "We don't belong anywhere."

Rhea gave him a sympathetic look, and squeezed his arm gently for comfort. Bofur held her wrist for a moment before looking back at Bilbo. He gave him a charming smile and walked a step forward, "I wish you all the luck in the world." He patted Bilbo's shoulder. "I really do."

Bilbo nodded to him in thanks but Rhea still gave a disappointing look to the hobbit. "I'm going to wake the girls and we are going with you." She said quietly, not taking objections from him anymore.

Right as Bilbo was going to wait outside for them, Bofur spoke again, "What's that?"

Bilbo and Rhea stopped and both looked down at his belt, which was giving off a slight blue shine. Rhea took a step forward and watched as Bilbo slowly pulled it out, the blue becoming more eminent in the darkness of the cave.

Rhea remembered what Gandalf said about the sword. _'It's of elvish make, meaning, it will glow blue when orcs or goblins are nearby.'_

Rhea widened her eyes at this revelation and Bilbo looked over at her in slight panic. In habitual panic when danger suddenly arises, Rhea used her wolf-link with the girls and sent them warning messages like crazy. Enough to startle them both awake from behind her without Rhea ever looking at them or touching them.

Ash and Dakota sat up and looked at Rhea, eyes focused as at the same time, a low creaking was heard all throughout the cave.

Dakota found dirt sliding down a recently formed crack that was growing exponentially from all sides. When she met eyes with Thorin he immediately jumped up and shouted,

"Wake up! Wake up!"

The dwarves, abruptly pushing themselves awake all looked around to see what Thorin was shouting about, didn't even have time to react. The floor flipped open like a door and Bofur along with Rhea fell backwards instantly. Ash and Dakota tried grabbing onto something but it was as if the entire floor was built to just open up from every corner.

The entire company plummeted down into a dimly lit tunnel, rolling around as the rate in which they dropped increased dramatically. They weren't even falling diagonally anymore, it was a straight drop from one side to the other.

As an opening came up before them, it looked as if they were going to fall straight through and into absolute darkness. Falling down into the bottom of the cave and splatting to the floor.

Struggling for a moment to find their balance, the girls used their strength to dig their fists into the rock-hard ground creating a break as broken rocks tumbled behind them in pieces. The dwarves rolled continuously around like maniacs unable to catch themselves.

As Dakota tried to find a way to stop all the dwarves from falling, she didn't have another moment to think as they all dropped one by one through the hole. Toppling onto each other they plopped onto a wooden platform with several thumps.

Dakota and the girls rolled out last, flipping over upright in midair and then landing perfectly on their feet one after the other. Catching herself with a hand on the ground, Dakota looked up and saw a roar of creatures surge towards them. Not being able to think about what to do fast enough, Dakota just knew she had to keep these things away from the dwarves and Bilbo.

As some of the dwarves tried to get to their senses, they caught onto the girls standing in front of them, crouching low to the ground after they dropped from the hole. Dakota turned to look at the girls before standing up and charging forward to meet the ugly things head on.

"Girls! With me!" She shouted, twisting one thing in midair and tossing it over the edge.

Without hesitation the girls followed suit and began tackling and tossing the goblins all over the place. Breaking arms and snapping necks with their bare hands, as their weapons were somewhere sprawled out where the dwarves were.

Ash in the middle of it looked back and saw the dwarves fighting some goblins that had crawled up the side. Kili called out to Rhea and the red head whipped around to help them fight off the goblins near them while they still tried to get up from their tangled mess.

However, within the short period of time there were too many goblins to fight off. The girls struggled to keep them back but before too late they were swarmed with more goblins than can be counted.

Beaten and scratched and pulled, the company was dragged away slowly as the goblins pushed them forward. Some of the dwarves punched goblins in the face, or others threw them over the edge to fall. The girls had the most goblins on them as they were constantly fighting and kicking for their lives. Rhea tried to get a good look at where Bilbo had gone but she couldn't see him very well from the mass of goblins around.

They were taken further onto the wooden and shaky pathways, held together by measly ropes, Dakota wondered if they were just going to fall to their doom at any moment instead of being eaten by these ugly things.

When they entered a massive openway, thousands of goblins were standing around this underground cave. Paths were lit every where and this horrible music was playing by untalented goblins. As they approached closer to the broken throne and rotten stench, Dakota widened her eyes at a ginormous beast that had warts all over his body and enough fat to set Middle-Earth on fire with one torch.

He was prancing around as much as he could on his chubby legs and was singing off key to a rather pointless song about torture. Dakota cringed at every note and wanted to try and cover her nose due to the stench being so horrible.

"Down down down in Goblin town!" He finished, twirling with his spear in a circle, almost hitting the entire company and goblins before him if they all hadn't ducked.

When he was done cheering, he threw his staff up in victory as the goblins all over cheered as well. He hobbled over to his thrown and stepped up to it using a bunch of goblins to squish while he was at it. Putting a hand to his mass below his chin, he smirked at the group.

"Catchy isn't it? It's one of my own composition." He proudly bragged.

"That's not a song, it's an abomination!" Balin reproached from behind the group, the rest of the dwarves agreeing loudly.

"Abominations, mutations, deviations, that's all you're going to find down here." The goblin ball of mass replied. With his tooth like crown Dakota guessed he must be some sort of King to these goblins.

As the goblins dropped all the weapons they found, they searched for more while the dwarves resisted. Dakota kicked a goblin in the face after one touched her where she didn't like it.

"Stop, touching me!" Ash yelled aggressively, grabbing one of the goblins and raising it up into the air, choking it. The other goblins came up to her and swarmed her, causing her to lose her hold on the first goblin. When the mass looked like it over took her, a bunch of them jumped back as she grabbed yet another one and slammed its head into the ground, puncturing its skull.

At that, the goblin King leaned forward, "What is this? Get a hold of her!"

Some more goblins all held onto Ash keeping her still instantly as her green eyes flashed fury.

Rhea stood behind Kili and growled at the goblins that kept touching him. Dakota being in between Balin and Thorin, was simply glaring at the goblin king slouching in his throne.

"These ones are strong, takes too many of us to keep one down." One of the goblins hissed, sending evil looks to the three girls clenching their fists.

The goblin king lurched forward and plopped himself onto his feet, looking at the company a bit closer with his blood-shot eyes. "Strong? Nothing can be stronger than a legion of us! Who are these to be so bold as to come armed in my kingdom?"

"I've seen better kingdoms in the dung of a cow than what you build here." Dakota retorted, her silver eyes inviting a fight.

"We do better than most little thing." The goblin king replied, scratching his somewhat beard. "Who are you anyways? Spies? Thieves? Assassins?"

"Dwarves your malevolence." One of the goblins answered.

"Dwarves?"

"Except for these three." He gestured to the girls and the goblins made it obvious who they were talking about. Kili took a step closer to Rhea and she welcomed his silent protection. Ash however was shoving off yet another goblin while Nori and Bifur tried to calm her down.

"What are you?" The goblin king asked, his eyes narrowed. "You don't look like a dwarf, you look like man. Puny little men."

Dakota clenched her jaw, "We are not men."

Bofur tried interrupting, "We are just travelers!"

"Off to see some kin!" Dori added helpfully.

"What are you doing in these parts?" The goblin king questioned. Although Dakota's fuse was getting short. Didn't they just answer this?

When nobody said a word, the king bellowed, "Search them! Every crack and crevice!"

When the goblins took over them once more, the ear trumpet of Oin was pulled and smashed to the ground. Dakota yanked the goblin back and shouted curses at him.

"We have got quite the feisty one haven't we?" The goblin king pondered, eyes full of excitement. "This one will go first!"

Dakota stepped forward to challenge him directly when Thorin shot his arm out and pushed her back a step.

The goblins found more treasures within a bag that Nori was keeping and discovered it was from Rivendell. Ori and Dori looked over at their comrade in disappointment when Nori defended himself. "Just a few keepsakes." He told them innocently. Ash whacked him upside the head for that.

"I got this." Oin stepped in front of Thorin and faced the ugly king.

"No lies! Only the truth! Warts and all!" The goblin king smirked and sat down again.

"You're going to have to speak up now since your boys flattened my trumpet!" Oin told him, a little annoyed at it himself as he showed the damage to the goblin king.

The ugly king jumped forward with this, "I'll flatten more than your trumpet!"

This time Ash pushed forward and covered Oin, glaring up at the king and daring him to make a move. Fili wound up next to her only to pull her back slightly before she went into something she wasn't fit to fight right at this moment.

"You touch him I'll rip that scrotum beard right off your ugly face!" Dakota threatened, barely being held back by Thorin as he continuously tried keeping her from pouncing on the king and starting a war in the middle of this place.

The goblin king looked astounded at that audacity and surged forward suddenly to her. Growling, Dakota's silver eyes flashed in defense but before he reached her Thorin shoved her behind him.

"Wait!"

The goblin king stopped and seemed to have recognized him immediately, his eyes going wide in surprise. "Well, well well. Look who it is!"

Thorin stepped in front of the group, exposing himself completely to the goblin kings eyes. "Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror. King under the Mountain!" He faux bowed in front of him, halfheartedly doing it.

Thorin just stood there, unamused by it. "Oh but wait! You don't have a mountain! Which makes you…nobody really." He put on a frown, watching for a reaction from the dwarf king, whose face was expressionless.

"I know somebody who would pay a pretty price for your head. Just the head though, nothing attached." He chuckled at his own bad joke, while Dakota scoffed loudly. "Perhaps you know of whom I speak. An old enemy of yours."

Rhea's expression went to shock as she realized who he could've meant. The story was that his arm got cut off…

She looked over at Kili who all but took fear onto his own emotions. Rhea watched as his uncle looked up at the goblin king, clearly his own thoughts processing the impossible.

"A pale orc, astride a white warg." The goblin king finished, smirking even more now.

"Azog the Defiler was defeated in battle long ago." Thorin tried convincing, his eyes that of untrust and disbelieving.

"So you think his defiling days are done do you?" The ugly king snickered as he told another pathetic looking goblin to send word that he has the dwarf. Thorin turned to look back at Balin who shook his head despairingly, along with Dwalin.

Dakota was still glaring up at the goblin king but her fists were clenched and ready for anything. "Yeah well if he can be beaten once, he can easily be beaten again." She growled. Thorin looking like he was about to face a ghost a moment ago, managed to give a little nod in agreement at her confidence unknowing.

As they spoke a bunch of goblins were coming around with different torture objects, which looking from here, seemed painful and undearing. Rhea gasped and stepped back, wondering how in the world they were going to escape this one. She didn't want to die yet, she certainly didn't want to be tortured with nails while doing it either. She swallowed the oncoming fear as she thought of the worst-case scenarios for her doom.

The goblins kept searching them and prodding them, grabbing hold of each one of them again while they all tried to fight. One of them grabbed Thorin's sword Orcrist while they were occupied but instantly dropped it and threw it away, its face contorted with flinching pain.

The goblin king retracted himself back onto his throne, "I know that sword! It's the goblin cleaver!"

Ash wondered how he would even know that just by looking at it or if there was a reason he was so fearful of it. It's not like swords had power on their own. She smacked another goblin away aggressively as more came onto her through anger. Bofur and Bombour tried to pry some off her but there was just too many, and they were dealing with ones of their own as well.

In fear though, the goblins began whipping Thorin, getting him to his knees as he felt the stinging pain go over him again and again. Dakota was the only one to fight through some goblins to try and reach him, and she grabbed one of them and threw it far over the cliff edge, earning a satisfying yelp as it plummeted.

As another one jumped on Thorin he tossed it aside before more tackled him after it. Pushing him into the ground they aimed a blade right at his throat, ready to slice it off. Dakota got pummeled by many other goblins but managed to fight with all her strength to make her way to the goblin holding the dagger.

Grabbing it, she twisted it so that it came back into his eye and the goblin screeched in pain. Two more came and pounded on her as Thorin briefly was safe from the blade, attempting to throw the ones holding him down on.

Rhea and Kili stood back to back, tossing and turning so the goblins struggled to get a good grip on them. More and more came from all over though and they were quickly overwhelmed. Rhea thought this might be the end of it all when a deafening silence exploded through the fight, knocking everyone to the ground and some goblins off the side. Even the ugly king rolled over, his massive weight turning against him.

A figure appeared, walking towards them, and Ash was the first one to look up and recognize who it was. She smiled in relief, for it was Gandalf! He caught up to them and their journey through the mountains. She had never felt so safe, even surrounded by goblins, thousands of them.

"Take up arms." He spoke. "Fight. Fight!"

With newfound confidence all the dwarves shoved the stunned goblins off them and started reaching for their confiscated weapons. Bofur getting to them first and began throwing them over his head to the nearest dwarf. He tossed Rhea's twin blades at her and she caught them with one hand and unsheathed them, slicing open the closest goblin.

Kili was about to be attacked as well but she called his name and tossed one of her blades to him. Catching it, Kili stabbed the goblin twice and cut open its throat.

Thorin picked up Orcrist right as the goblin king came for him and deflected the ugly beasts attack with his staff, ricocheting off the elven sword and falling backwards into the abyss.

Dakota swiped her bow and arrows and began stabbing and shooting all over the place. Her silver eyes shining with determination to make it out of this forsaken place at last. "We gotta move!" She yelled, and Gandalf ordered them to follow him back where he came from. Thorin charged in first while Dakota followed close behind. The rest of the company going too, along with Rhea who made sure Kili went ahead first. She saw Ash was waiting for them all to go ahead of her and ran behind the group safely.

Fili was finishing off a goblin before Ash came up to him and dragged him by his sleeve to get moving. Fili glanced over at her and then behind. "You faster as a human too?" He asked, slightly joking.

"Move it Fili!" She snapped.

"Yeah but is it weird running on two legs instead of four?" He smiled at his own amusement. Ash shoved him in front,

"Not the time for wolf jokes you idiot. Get a move on!"

As they ran across the unstable platforms the swarms of goblins we rising from all the angles they could see. There were so many they were covering the walls and the pathways like invading ants.

When they came across a bridge a bunch of goblins blocked the pathway, this time Kili stopped right behind Dwalin and they had to come up with a plan and fast. Rhea looked down at a loose log near their feet.

"Can't you guys do something to get rid of these goblins by the mass numbers?" Dwalin accused, backing up slightly. Rhea chopped one of the ropes off the log quickly before Dakota caught on and chopped the other, Gloin finishing the last one behind.

"I'm a wolf not a wizard!" She corrected, grabbing the pole and lifting it with ease, her and Dakota charging forward to kabab about three goblins and knocking over the group behind them, clearing the bridge. Kili looked back up at her huffing and dropping the log,

"Woof." He chuckled, and Rhea shook her head at him. Ash came up and ran past along with the rest of the company.

"What is with you dwarves and cracking jokes at the worst possible time?" Ash retorted, rolling her eyes.

They continued on, fighting and stabbing goblins along the way, using any means at their disposal. Dakota shot out at the goblins trying to swing their way to the other side where they were, causing some to drop and others to get tangled and create a barricade of bodies hanging from rope.

When more were coming Thorin stopped and shouted, "Cut the ropes!"

All at once, Dori, Nori, and Thorin sliced the ends of the ropes, causing the entire platform above them to fall downwards, wrapping up the swinging goblins around it as they came.

Moving on, Kili and Rhea came up to a path ahead and came upon some goblins firing arrows maliciously. Kili blocked some with his sword while Rhea ducked and rolled out of the way. "You know," Kili started, blocking another arrow. "I've been meaning to brag to you that I too can use a sword and a bow."

Rhea kicked a goblin away and sliced another one head off. "Kili-"

Kili suddenly leaned over her and grabbed a wooden ladder, placing it on top of several goblins and pushing them back until they fell off a cliff. All the while dropping the ladder and making a bridge while at it. He smirked over at Rhea, "See? And efficient!"

"What's this supposed to prove?" She asked, cutting down more goblins ahead of them as they went.

"That I'm as great as a wolf of course." He chuckled.

Rhea took a moment after killing another goblin to look at him, "Not even close." She stated.

"Why not?" He defended, knocking over more goblins and stabbing two after that.

"For one, wolves have way better reflexes." She pulled her sword out from one of the goblins heads.

"Not true!"

As a frenzy of arrows came from one of the pathways across the chasm from them, the dwarves all ducked and covered themselves unable to do much. Ash though ran and skidded to a halt, not even hesitating she wrapped her hands around a giant wooden bridge just next to them and yanked it easily off its secures. With the adrenaline of her wolf flowing through her vividly now her strength had gotten impressively better and she easily lifted the huge object over her head.

With a step backwards only, Ash hurled the bridge over the chasm with incredible height and speed and everyone watched as it exploded into the crevice in which the goblins were hiding. Seeing them drop dead to the ground or impaled by wooden sticks, they figured it was safe to run on.

Rhea tapped Kili's arm, "See? That's how good we do it." She smirked this time.

Ash looked over at them, "Will you two stop flirting and pay attention?"

Rhea's cheeks felt hot, "We are not flirting!"

"Flirting?" Dori echoed, his face confused as they all ran on, fighting goblins that crawled this way and that.

"Who's flirting?" Dakota piped up from where she beheaded a goblin, pulling her sword out. Her silver eyes slightly annoyed.

"Nobody is!" Kili shouted.

Dakota pointed her bloody sword at him, eyes narrowed.

"Enough! Get moving!" Thorin commanded and they all bolted away from the spot.

They made it to yet another bridge but this time Dwalin cut the ropes and they all ended up swinging back and forth on it, having it completely loose. When it reached the other side half of them jumped it, but back at the other more goblins hopped on and they had to balance and fight them off as best they could.

Swinging back to the other side the rest of the company jumped together, Fili cutting the rope right as he went and jumping at the last second. Ash grabbed his forearm along with Dwalin on his other as they both hauled him to safety quickly.

Moving faster throughout the maze of pathways Gandalf used his staff to create a boulder from the rock above. Using gravity they all helped push it down the path, squashing any goblins that stood in its way.

Up front, they seemed to be nearing the end of the wooden platforms and towards freedom. Rhea sprinted ahead, easily overtaking the company and making sure it was clear before they passed the final bridge.

Just as she hit the middle, the goblin king burst out from the bottom, the impact caused Rhea to be flung upwards and over him, slamming into the rock behind.

"Rhea!" Ash shouted, forced to a halt before the great beast, looking at her injured friend worriedly.

Rhea put a hand up to tell her that she was okay, as she stiffly got to her feet.

"You thought you could escape me?!" The goblin king swung his staff forward, almost cutting Gandalf in half. "What are you going to do now wizard?"

Gandalf, still looking defiantly up at him, watched as Rhea jumped from where she was behind him, and stuck her sword right in the back of his neck. Gandalf took the opportunity to slice the ugly kings throat as he fell to his knees. Twisting over dead, Rhea hopped off him and rolled right next to the wizard.

At that moment though, the weight of the kings fat seemed to have cause the wood to crack and splinter. A bit more shaking and the entire platform of the bridge dropped vertically down.

"Hold on!" Gandalf shouted. The platform snapped in two and the entire company plummeted down to the bottom of the chasm. Yelling in fear, they all held onto whatever they could or each other as they waited to hit the bottom. Closing her eyes Rhea sat next to Bofur as they both screamed all the way down.

"We're gonna die!" Rhea cried.

"I am not dying today!" Dakota defiantly shouted back, even moments before they were all doomed that girl still managed to reject fear.

With some slim rocks on the side of the cave below, the platform came to a screeching halt. Stopping just a few feet above the ground before crashing all together with the dwarves and girls sandwiched inside.

"Well that could've been worse." Bofur told them all positively.

Pieces of wood fell on top of them as Gandalf quickly made it to his feet. Rhea felt like her stomach was being pierced by a hundred thorns as splinters were digging into her. She tried to move slowly as the weight shifted off her but not just a moment of freedom did she have before the massive dead goblin king slammed into the woodpile and crushed all of them inside.

"You've _got to be joking." _Dwalin grunted underneath all the weight.

"Gandalf!" Kili shouted, getting the wizards attention on the mass of goblins terrifyingly running down the walls of the cave to where they landed.

Dwalin and some of the others had helped pull some of the dwarves out but alas the weight of the goblin king was too heavy to lift off the top half of the wood. He was still crushing Dakota, Bofur, Dori, Ori, and Balin.

Ash and Rhea struggled a little while Kili helped them remove the wood from their bodies. Fili went to go help free the rest of them but he couldn't lift the weight enough on his own.

Dwalin tried too but it was useless, he turned to Gandalf, "There's too many, we can't fight them."

"Only one thing will save us, daylight!" The wizard answered. "Get this lifted off, come on!"

Thorin came up to where Balin was and the rest of the company followed his move, unable to all lift it together still, it only creaked a small bit.

The goblins got ever closer and Thorin, getting desperate called them all to help lift just enough for one of them to have room.

"Dakota!" He yelled through clenched teeth.

Dakota used this small space to place her hands and feet at the top of the wooden planks.

With a good hand and foothold, she growled lowly, feeling the power of her strength surge through her veins.

Silver eyes beginning to glow into a white flame, Dakota heaved the entire weight of the dead goblin king up and away from them. Releasing the stuck dwarves and rolling herself over to freedom.

"Run!" Gandalf didn't wait as he turned around and bolted for it. Dakota, blinking away her raging eyes, followed suit as Thorin brought up the rear. The dwarves were impressed with the power she had and the capability of lifting such weight off of them, but they had no time for thank you's and good jobs as the goblins creeped faster to them from behind.

Leading them out of the cave, Gandalf made sure they all made it to the light of day one by one. Each of them ran out and into the open air, the smell of pine and a fresh breeze was an open welcome from the stench of goblin town and the near-death experiences several times.

Running in the front of the group, Rhea wondered if they should stop anywhere near here since they were already out into the daylight. But they kept going until somebody said to stop. She hoped this was the last of the fun for today.

* * *

**Leave a review if you can, I'd really appreciate it :)**

**Also, chapter a little long...sorry. Wanted to get the entire goblin scene out of the way. I am a sucker for writing battle scenes so I had to hold myself back a bit in this one. **

**See you soon,**

**-Pyrite**


	13. Chapter 13

_To Ultidragonlord: _**This one's for you ;)**

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Chapter 13

As they ran down the hill, the setting sun was turning the ground in front of them slightly orange, with deep shadows coming off the trees and tall rocks. Ash brought up the rear along with the girls, right behind Fili and Kili.

Gandalf appeared to have slowed down a bit and was counting as they all went past him. Making sure everybody was accounted for in the rush to get out of there. Since they were all safe in the daylight, they could slow down and catch their breaths.

Fili and Kili stopped just above some rocks and Ash came up next to them. Rhea skidded to a halt and practically barreled into Kili. He turned to catch her and him before they made an awkward landing in front of everybody.

"Whoops." Rhea smiled sheepishly, taking her stance back and putting a safe space between her and Kili.

Kili looked at her and smiled, "Quite the clumsy one are we?"

"Am not." She shoved his shoulder.

Gandalf looked around after he was done counting, "Where is Bilbo?"

Dakota, who was leaning over catching her breath next to a tree, snapped her head up. Ash looked behind her and Rhea looked around the trees ahead. Panic slowly setting in their eyes as they realized he wasn't there.

"Where is our hobbit?!" Gandalf raised his voice clearly as worried as the girls were.

"I can't smell him. Ash I can't smell him what if he's back in the caves?" Rhea cried, her voice quaking as she took steps back and looked around more. Ash came up to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sure he's just following behind. Wasn't he with us when we fell?" She asked, looking around at the dwarves. Nobody answered. She dropped her hand, "He wasn't with us?!"

Ash felt like slamming her head into a tree, how could she not have noticed? She figured he was running with them this entire time. When did they lose him? Did he get out? Is there another way out? Her heart beat faster in worry.

"Who saw him last?" Dakota questioned everyone.

Fili and Kili looked around themselves frantically, but nobody else was there and they brought up the rear.

"Curse that halfling anyways! Now he's gotten himself lost!" Dwalin complained, not surprised or worried.

"He's a part of your company!" Ash protested at him back. Rhea as scouting behind a little bit, desperate to find his scent. Kili saw her get a little further away and jogged up to her. Dwalin said something to Ash but he didn't hear it.

"Hey, he'll find us, I promise." Kili reassured her. Rhea shook her head.

"He's our responsibility, I cannot believe I let this happen."

He stepped in front of her, "You didn't. Don't go back there it's dangerous."

The dwarves in the background started blaming each other for what happened to the hobbit while Ash argued with Dwalin and Dakota was just yelling at everybody.

"I have to find him!" Rhea pleaded. "He's my responsibility. Just like we are his."

Kili grabbed her arms and held them tightly, "You are my responsibility too."

Rhea looked over at him and Kili shifted his gaze in slight embarrassment. "Because you're a part of this company, too. We all look out for each other."

Rhea sighed and longingly looked back at the mountain caves before she let Kili pull her down to the company again. Standing close next to him, she watched as Nori spoke above the others,

"I think I saw him slip away when they first collared us."

Relieved that he wasn't caught, Ash released a breath. Maybe he was able to get away without being noticed. She tried to look on the bright side.

"Well what happened exactly?" Gandalf demanded. "Tell me!"

"I'll tell you what happened." Thorin spoke, interrupting. "Master Baggins saw his chance and he took it! He's thought of nothing but his soft bed and warm hearth since he stepped foot out of his door."

All the dwarves silently agreed, whether they said it out loud or not. Ash and Rhea exchanged glances and Ash noticed how comfortingly close her friend was to the prince. Fili didn't even say anything about it either as he stood right next to them. Maybe it didn't bother him like he used to pretend it did. Well, she figured he was pretending. At the same time he still probably thinks of them as monsters, which was a setback from their calm demeanor back in the caves before the goblins.

"We will not be seeing our hobbit again. He is long gone." Thorin finished, while some of the dwarves who had actually started to like Bilbo, looked at each other disappointed rather than angry.

Dakota though was furious. She stalked up to Thorin and shoved him back at the shoulder. "It's _your_ fault!"

A couple of the dwarves like Dwalin and Gloin came up to her to try and get in between them. But Dakota wasn't having it and Thorin looked at her with shock that she would even touch him.

"How is this mine?" He bellowed, angry at her accusation.

Dakota stepped closer to him and shoved him again, "You're the one who told him he didn't belong here! You made him feel unwelcome and I don't know who would want to stay with such a sour and ungrateful person like you either!"

Thorin took a step forward and glared at her directly in the eyes, his ice blue eyes furious. "Stop touching me. Your accusations are meaningless, and you have no right or say in this company at all!"

"I have every right after you asked me to save your comrades! I could've just let them be dead by goblins and gotten myself out." Dakota hissed. "You just find every reason to kick us out of this company, without even giving us a chance!"

Ash was just watching this happen while Rhea gave her a look of desperation. She was asking Ash to stop them but all her friend did was cross her arms over her chest. Clearly she was taking Dakota's side on this. Rhea sighed and slightly shook her head.

"I have given plenty of chances, and they are all useless when it comes to the burden you and your pack of beasts are to this quest!" Thorin pointed to the other girls across from him.

Some of the dwarves came up to try and break it up and others clearly disagreed with Thorin, although not openly. As it was obvious the girls had been helping a lot on this journey, and most of them knew it. Having giant wolves on their side was turning out to be quite the good protection for them.

Kili shielded Rhea slightly as Thorin pointed her out, his eyes defiant towards his uncle. Dakota kept going, "The only useless person here is _you!"_

She went to shove him again but this time as Thorin was pushed back he grabbed onto her forearm and stopped her. Pulling it tight so she couldn't release it, Dakota used her other arm to strike at him in the chest. Causing some air to be wiped from Thorin, he bent over slightly. Balin came up and dragged a cursing Dakota away while Dwalin put his axe up to her.

Right as Thorin recovered quickly, he looked at the fighting Dakota with something different in his eyes. Dakota couldn't read it but she didn't care, she wanted to pummel him to the ground after how he's been treating Bilbo.

"Enough!"

Everyone froze as Bilbo himself somehow just appeared next to the tree Ash was standing by. "I haven't gone anywhere." He proudly stated, letting the dwarves know that he wasn't planning on leaving with just his words.

"Bilbo Baggins!" Gandalf stepped forward. "I haven't been so glad to see anyone in my life."

Bilbo smiled and patted Balin next to him who Dakota shoved off in order to get closer to Bilbo. He gave her a slight scolding look from her behavior and Dakota looked down briefly before watching him go up to Gandalf.

"Bilbo! We'd given you up!" Kili stated, while Rhea ran up from behind him to hug the hobbit tightly.

"How on earth did you get past the goblins?" Fili wondered. Ash went to hug Bilbo too, squeezing him until she heard his back crack a little. Grunting in satisfaction slightly, Bilbo chuckled and turned to answer Fili.

"Uh, now that's a funny story…" He started. He noticed Dwalin and Thorin observing him intently from in front of him and slightly got a little nervous. So he just pointed at them and laughed a little.

Gandalf interrupted though, "Oh well why does it matter? He's back."

Honestly Ash would've liked to know, since Bilbo wasn't the fighter type she wondered if they could've found a secret way out that entire time. The thought made her ponder the possibilities.

Thorin seemed to have noticed a look Gandalf gave Bilbo for his eyes narrowed. "It matters."

Bilbo looked over at him while Dakota growled quietly. "I want to know. Why did you come back?"

"Seriously though, I wouldn't have." Dakota added, arms crossed as her silver-grey eyes threw a malicious look over at the king. He tilted his head down a little at her pettiness, not amused. Dakota's blonde hair blew slightly into her face, skewing the moment as she looked away.

Bilbo found the words he was thinking about and put his hand on Dakota next to him, calming her down. He then looked over at Thorin,

"Look I know you doubt me. I know you always have." He said honestly, and Dakota was a little impressed at how his ability to understand people always worked. "And you're right I do miss Bag End. I miss my books, and my armchair. I miss seeing my girls tussle with each other in the yard, or sing songs and play games with me."

Kili and Fili glanced over at the girls, their eyes somber and understanding at his words. Bilbo continued, "You see that's home to me." He turned to look at the girls. "That's home to us."

Rhea smiled and Ash nodded slightly. "That's where we belong. That's home." Bilbo looked around at some of the dwarves.

"And that's why I came back. Because you don't have one, a home." Bilbo shrugged, "As much as the girls won't say it they aren't helping you because of me either. They believe you deserve a home too."

The girls looked at each other before glancing at the ground or away from the dwarves now staring at them through new perspectives. When Rhea met Kili's eyes, he was showing her admiration through his expression, and she smiled to herself.

"Your home was taken from you." Bilbo told them, "But I will help you take it back if I can."

Thorin seemed to have been a little moved at the hobbit's speech, along with all the other dwarves. They got sad from Bilbo openly saying that their home was unjustly taken from them, and their grateful but heartbroken faces were on every single one of them.

"I will help you too. Not just for Bilbo." Ash promised, nodding to them all. Bilbo smiled at her proudly while Rhea stepped forward too.

"I will help you, I'm not going anywhere until you're all home again and safe." She turned to look at Kili who seemed to swell with happiness and grief.

Bilbo glanced at Dakota whose eyes were still hard with frustration. After an intense moment of waiting for her to say something too, she finally released a breath. "Fine. I'll help too, you guys don't smell _that _bad anymore." She grumbled.

Thorin's eyes were on her as she tried avoiding his, not wanting it to seem she wasn't still mad at him or something.

A few chuckles were heard as Gandalf looked at the hobbit and girls, proudly smiling to himself.

"Wolves don't smell that bad either." Bofur informed her, while the girls all laughed at his humor.

A howling in the distance interrupted the moment. They all looked around and listened. Dakota uncrossed her arms and sniffed the air. "Wargs."

Thorin held his sword out, blue eyes wide, "Out of the frying pan."

"And into the fire…run!" Gandalf finished, before turning around and making a break for it.

As they all started running down the hill as fast as they could go, Kili grabbed Rhea's hand and pulled her along with him. Uncertain she should be running, Rhea kept looking behind her to see several of the pack of wargs sprinting down after them. They'll catch up to them in no time for sure.

Almost reading her mind, Ash took a few huge steps in front of her and halted, facing the wargs coming down. Fili turned to wait for her hen he noticed her stopping, "Come on!"

Ash waved him away, "Go! We'll hold them off!"

"But you can't-"

"Fili I said go!" This time she whipped around and ran forward, shifting herself into her wolf form and landing on all four paws, muscles tense and throat growling.

Dakota up near the front saw Ash shift and face them from behind and stopped herself from going any further. In a swift motion she shifted herself too, shaking her fur and running up to where Ash was positioned.

"What are they doing?!" Ori shouted.

"Holding them back, run faster Ori!" Balin told him, ushering him on. Glancing back he saw that Ash and Dakota were charging full speed at the wargs. "May Durin be with them." He prayed.

Rhea saw Dakota run past and Kili watched as she took her hand out of his. "No!" He yelled trying to grab her again.

"Kili I must help my pack, get out of here!" She ordered him, before he could argue she shifted right in front of him, her cream fur shining in the moonlight rising. Kili met her wolf eyes, the yellow and green mix were begging him to go. As she turned around to run after her packmates Kili cursed and then went after his brother.

As the wargs came down, one of the first ones came flying at Ash. She snarled and met him head on as it crashed into her sending them rolling over and over. Biting at clawing at it, her teeth met its throat quickly as she twisted her head and slammed him into the ground cutting off its air supply.

Dakota went next as she jumped onto the log of the tree and propelled herself onto an oncoming warg, crashing into him and digging her teeth into its neck.

As another warg came and rammed into Dakota, knocking her over. She clawed at its belly as it snapped its jaws near her head.

However the weight was pulled off her as Rhea lifted the warg by the back of its neck and shook it around until she was able to break it against the ground.

When too many were coming down from the hill they had some slip past them and onto the dwarves who had met a dead end. There was a huge cliff between them and vicious wargs and there was no way out.

When more than enough had slipped past, Dakota saw that Bilbo was struggling to get his sword out from the head of a dead warg. Another one was going after him while he wasn't armed and she growled and pounded after it.

Just mere seconds from reaching Bilbo, Dakota had ripped into its body with teeth and claws alike. Rolling over she managed to get on top of it and sink deep into its throat, killing it swiftly.

As she looked up to make sure Bilbo was okay he nodded to her bright silver eyes, as they showed ferocity. They almost reflected the moon itself, with white fire inside its pupils.

Whipping around she went to go after more wargs as Ash and Rhea continued to keep the majority of them back.

With too many to hold back the three of them were being slowly pushed back themselves, all the way until the were just feet in front of the dwarves.

"Rhea watch out!" Kili shouted.

Rhea snarled as she turned to face a warg that came and jumped her. She clawed its eyes and smacked it with her paws several times in order to get it to reveal its throat to her or fall down. It bit at her and raised itself onto its hindlegs slightly to get more power over top of her. But Rhea rose to her hindlegs as well and collided with it, digging her teeth into its ear she shook it back and forth while it tore into her fur trying to get her to release.

As she kept fighting with it, Ash came from underneath it and knocked it down for her. When it landed, Rhea readjusted her bite and plunged into its throat. When she finished she noticed all the dwarves were trying to climb the trees around them.

Dakota came up and pushed Nori who was struggling to pull himself up, onto the branch. When he turned to look at her, her shining silver eyes were gentle. "Thank you." He said breathily. Dakota nodded and went back to fending off more wargs that were coming down.

Balin didn't have the upper strength to get himself up right and a warg almost bit him in the leg and dragged him down. When it tried again Ash tackled it and threw it over the cliff edge.

She went to go help Balin and carefully nudged him up higher, Fili and Kili grabbing him and pulling him up. While Rhea snatched Bilbo and ran to the nearest tree to toss him up to it.

As the second wave of wargs were making their way to them, the three girls turned and faced them, standing scattered but near each other. Snarling, with their hackles raised, they prepared for more of a fight to come.

'_There's too many!'_ Rhea told them, taking a paw step back.

Ash growled and tried not to be intimidated by the numbers coming at them, while Dakota took a step forward and roared loudly. Her dark brown fur had some matted blood on the side but it didn't seem to be bothering her. Ash had some bites as well but she couldn't focus on that right now.

"Ash! Rhea! Dakota! Up in the trees with us!" Bofur yelled, worry at them being down on the ground fighting them all themselves. A couple more of the dwarves agreed on that and tried getting them to come to the safest spot up in the trees.

However the girls didn't even look at them as they stood their ground. Dakota stomped the dirt with her paw before raising her head to the sky.

Releasing a bone-chilling howl, it echoed through the entire valley. Running deep and short, the dwarves felt themselves shiver at the sound. Ash and Rhea joined in with her, each having a slightly different pitch but all together it made the music of battle ring true.

Bilbo knew there was a lot of wargs, but the fact that his girls were so strong and powerful made him smirk pridefully at the oncoming attackers. For they do not know the fury these wolves can fight with.

When the onslaught came, the girls slammed into the wargs with ferocity, snarling and tearing into one after the other. Dakota ripped into one's neck while Ash pummeled another and kicked it off the cliff. Rhea was fending off three of them as they bit her from all sides. She rolled over and threw one off before attacking and throwing the next one off the edge. Finishing the last with a swift toss into a tree to break its back.

Suddenly, all the wargs stopped. The girls froze and backed up as far as they could next to each other. Still snarling and showing aggression, their ears folded back to their heads. Then they saw what the wargs were looking at, a white warg, bigger than them with an orc rider.

'_That must be Azog'_ Dakota growled.

Ash and Rhea stiffened still showing their teeth to the wargs surrounding them. The pale orc said something in a language they did not understand, but when Ash looked up at Thorin his face was filled with something out of fear. Like he was reliving a nightmare. She could understand that given what the orc put him through.

'_I thought he was dead?'_ Rhea flicked her tail nervously.

Dakota jumped forward and scared a warg who scuttled backwards, growling back at her. While Ash looked around for any route to escape. _'Maybe Thorin was wrong' _She stated, worrying more about the number of wargs than the one orc in front of her.

Then the orc swung his mace around, commanding his small army to attack. All the wargs surged forward, going for the trees. They snapped the limbs and tried biting the legs of the dwarves. Their weight was knocking the tress so much it was causing them to shake and tilt.

The girls ended up being sacked by too many wargs and were fighting them by the mass. Snarling, their fangs showing prominently as they bit into the flesh easily and tore chunks out.

Bilbo noticed how well they were still doing, he was worried with them being in the thick of battle down on the ground. But he reminded himself as he occasionally saw them fighting that the wargs may have numbers but the wolves' strength was nothing to match. Especially together.

When Ash was being dragged by another warg Dakota climbed over more to rip its jaws off her and throw it into the ground. Rhea was desperately trying to claw a warg that had gotten its teeth around her neck before Ash ran to her rescue and aggressively shredded the wargs neck out.

With so many the girls were having more difficulty fighting them off, and sometimes tried to pry the wargs attacking the trees away from the company. But the tree Bilbo was on couldn't take any more damage and toppled itself over and onto the next one.

All the girls could do was watch as the trees fell one after the other, the dwarves hopping from each branch onto the next in order to stay above ground. While continuously fighting off wargs, all the dwarves and Bilbo landed on the last tree of the cliff. It was just barely hanging on to its roots.

The dwarves and Bilbo could only watch helplessly as the wolves fought tirelessly one warg after the other, trying not to get overwhelmed and helping each other out whenever one was getting too close to death.

Gandalf, thinking fast, grabbed a massive pinecone and started lighting it on fire with his staff. Once it was on fire, he threw it right in the middle of the mass of wargs that were swarming over Ash.

Getting to all four paws, Ash looked back at the wizard, her eyes grateful. Gandalf decided that was a good idea and lit more pinecones.

"Fili!" He tossed one down to him and the blonde dwarf caught it and helped Bilbo light his own. More pinecones were being dispersed between all the dwarves as they got all their ammo and started throwing them at the wargs down below. A fire had started to spread quickly as the girls were freed from the nonstop attacks and were able to back away to the tree.

"Don't touch my girls!" Bilbo shouted, chucking a flaming pinecone and hitting one directly in the head, causing it to spread over its body and catch on fire. Bilbo cheered as they all did, happy to have been able to draw the wargs away and buy them some time.

Fili and Kili looked down at the girls who were panting and seemingly bleeding all over their bodies now from scratches and bites. The pale orc shouted in frustration at the fire engulfing the wargs and keeping them from their prey.

The cheering stopped though as the tree began to lurch sideways, jolting them all. With the new fire, it burned whatever hold the roots had onto the ground.

Rhea, being quick on her feet, pounced on the base of the tree and used her weight to hold it steady as it fell completely sideways, dropping the dwarves and leaving them barely hanging on for their life.

"Rhea!" Bilbo called out to her. Her bright hazel eyes were filled with fear as her claws sunk into the tree trunk, keeping it from going down any further. Ash and Dakota were facing the other way, watching her back as there was no room for more to hold onto.

Rhea whined as she looked at Kili who was trying to keep himself on the branch as his legs dangled down. He saw her eyes glisten, the yellow in them reflecting the raging fire.

"Can you reach us?" Thorin asked, holding onto the middle part of the tree. Dakota and Ash fought off a few wargs that broke through the flames behind them.

Rhea whimpered again, but slowly attempted to crawl out onto the log. As soon as she did so, the tree dropped an inch down and she flinched back.

"No! Don't move Rhea!" Kili told her.

She worriedly kept her claws into the bark and pushed as much weight as she could onto it. Thorin saw her fear and knew she would do anything to make sure they didn't fall, and that he knew he could trust her for now. For when he looked at Rhea's shining and determined expression, he knew they just could have a chance to get out of here.

But as the dwarves all struggled more to hang on, Rhea saw Thorin stand up from where he was, his eyes cold and vengeful. He was looking at something behind her but she couldn't turn around to see it.

He walked down the log, his sword out on one side and his shield held tightly on his other hand. He started slowly before coming off the log, eyeing the pale orc and his beast, sword now raised for battle.

'_What is he doing?!'_ Rhea whined.

As the pale orc welcomed this challenge, he did not account for the next thing. For as Thorin started running towards him, Ash and Dakota finished off a couple wargs and turned around next to him. Running beside him, they snarled and barked aggressively. Thorin noticed both of them running next to him, both massive wolves with war raging in their moonlit eyes and fangs exposed.

Feeling more confident than ever he cried out and went straight for the pale orc. Whom jumped off the cliff he was standing on and was about to hit Thorin with his wargs paw. However Dakota lunged upwards and collided with the white warg, causing Azog to fly off of his back and land into the dirt and roll.

Ash was right behind Dakota as they both crashed into the ground, dirt and twigs flying everywhere. The white warg was ten times more able to fight and had Dakota on her back in a second. Ash pulled it off and tore at its ear shaking her head back and forth. While Dakota's claws shredded under its belly, biting its foreleg she crunched down as hard as she could. Satisfied when the white warg howled in agony as they both tore into it.

Another warg came up and threw Ash off her game, getting more orc riders around Ash to pin her down and bite into her.

Dakota was left to defend herself from the white warg as they tussled it out and bit into each other. Rolling the beast over finally, Dakota managed to bite the snout of it. Keeping it's jaw closed, the white warg tried shaking her off several times. Dakota held on and scraped its shoulders with her claws over and over again.

While they were fighting Thorin ended up getting smashed in the head by Azog's mace, knocking him down completely after a short fight.

More wargs came onto Dakota though, one of Azog's right hand orcs leading the way as they yanked her off the white warg. Taken into the ground the white warg went to Azog while leaving Dakota to fend off more wargs than she could handle.

As the white warg came onto Thorin, it picked him up in its jaws while Azog climbed on top of her again. Crushing the king dwarf in its mouth, Thorin shouted out in pain. The company cried out to him as they watched Thorin get tossed like a doll to the other side of the cliff. Ash and Dakota were getting mauled on all sides, barely managing to keep themselves alive.

Ash had a warg biting into her hindleg and another ripping into her neck scruff and slamming her into the ground. While Dakota had a warg claw into her underbelly as two or three more bit and tore at her face and legs. They both desperately tried getting out but the pain and torture was killing them, and they had no choice but to just fight until they could no longer breath.

'_Ash! Dakota! No!'_ Rhea's cries were heard in their heads as she could only watch them get clawed and torn up. She whined, crying, praying there was something they could do as her packmates were getting attacked. She couldn't do this quest without them, she needed them. They were dying right in front of her, and all she could do was watch as she kept the dwarves and Bilbo from falling to their doom. _'Keep fighting!'_ She tried to tell them, her muscles getting tight from holding onto such a heavy weight for so long.

'_Hard not to!'_ Dakota replied sharply.

When Azog spoke, one of the orcs got off their wargs and went over to Thorin, who weakly tried reaching for his sword to defend himself with. But right as the orc stood above him and ready to chop, Bilbo had tackled him to the ground. That was the last thing Thorin saw before passing out.

While Bilbo profusely stabbed the orc and killed him, he saw that Ash was pinned to the ground by a few wargs and Dakota was being held down by the back of the neck with another. They were too hurt and weakened to fight off the three or four wargs that kept them grounded. Still, they growled and snarled and occasionally bit and clawed at them as much as they could.

Bilbo raised his sword to the pale orc, even though he had no choice. If they were fighting until the end, he would to. Fighting for Thorin and this quest. Fighting for his girls who had done so much to protect them tonight, risking everything.

Right as the wargs were closing in on him, Fili, Kili, and Dwalin came running towards him. Attacking the wargs and pushing them back. Bilbo fought too as much as he could, but when they still got surrounded in the end, Bilbo just fearfully stared into the cold eyes of the white warg as it approached him slowly.

As if the brief rescue didn't even happen, they were all stuck again, back to back. Waiting for one of them to strike.

That is until something huge came flying past, grabbing hold of two wargs that held Ash down. When Bilbo looked closer, there were more of them coming, Giant Eagles! He had only ever heard about them in stories.

Their huge feathered wings flapped easily across as they grabbed wargs and threw them over the edge. Thrusting the fire over to them and catching them into the flames, or biting some in the mouth and tossing them away.

Dakota felt like her whole body was released from pain as the Eagles tore the wargs away from her and Ash. Freeing them from their hold.

Standing up stiffly, Dakota stood her ground and went over to help Ash to her paws. The Eagles, as Rhea realized, were taking the dwarves and putting them on their backs or carrying them away. One even gently came up and grabbed Thorin, slowly taking him away as well.

When it looked like the Eagles had gotten everyone, Rhea released the tree and watched as it tilted and cracked over, falling down over the cliff. As she was about to turn around and go for Ash and Dakota, an Eagle flew up to her and quickly grabbed her with its talons, taking her away.

'_What the?'_ Rhea squirmed a little in its grasp but the Eagle only adjusted itself and screeched at her. Clearly not liking her moving so much.

Rhea turned her head around to see that two last Eagles grabbed Ash and Dakota unexpectedly, earning an angry shout from Azog as him and the leftover wargs watched them fly far away.

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**Please leave a review on what you think of it so far.**

**-Pyrite**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hi. I'm late. I know, I'm sorry. I have an exam tomorrow that I have been studying for, it's been four whole days of biology and chemistry and I am the epitome of "a hot mess". **

**Status: Currently wrapped up like a burrito eating cheddar popcorn with squinting tired eyes. I look like a pissed morning snack tbh.**

**Anyways, apologies again, don't hate me, I'm just a dead college student with a passion.**

**-Pyrite**

* * *

Chapter 14

The Eagles flew quite at a height, putting much needed distance from the company and Azog as much as they could. They gracefully glided through the upper clouds of mist, soaring over the mountains, the sunset gleaming over their broad feathers.

No matter the beauty of this flight, most of the dwarves had their eyes on Thorin, who was unconscious in one of the Eagles talons. Fili called out to him, but no answer.

Rhea was watching below her, seeing her friends drooping heads and limp bodies. Worry set in as she knew all three of them had many battle wounds, but Ash and Dakota got the worst of it in the end. They looked half asleep but in too much pain to completely enjoy the moment of flying through the skies.

Rhea whimpered as the Eagles swooped down over a waterfall, folding their wings and diving below the valley. She wanted to of course know if Thorin was even alive, but her friends could very well be bleeding out. Her priority was them as always, she absolutely couldn't stand to see them in this state after the battle. They had never fought things so hard in their entire life, the challenge of it clearly showed.

Bilbo had leaned over on top of the Eagle and saw that Thorin was still not awake, however he switched his focus to Rhea who seemed a little better off than the other two massive wolves in the talons of the Eagles.

"Ash!" He tried calling down to the dark grey wolf, Rhea perked her ears and looked down as well.

Ash weakly lifted her head to give Bilbo a pained look, before dropping it again letting out a small whine.

Rhea felt so heartbroken, she could feel her wounds all over her body but that was nothing compared to how much pain her packmates were in. She wanted to go to them.

Right as she was feeling desperate, the Eagles swung around a huge rock formation slowly lowering all the company down onto it. Thorin was first while Gandalf came next. He rushed over to him immediately, leaning over him.

The Eagles all spread out and lower the dwarves one by one. When The Eagle lowered Rhea to the rock, she stood up and shook herself before shifting back into her human form. As soon as she did so though, the pain intensified immensely. For as wolves they can handle more pain than a human, especially in their wolf forms. When they transform back though, it gets much worse.

Gasping, Rhea dropped to one knee. While Oin and Gloin rushed over to her, both at her side. "Easy lassie, lay down." Oin told her, but she shook her head.

Turning her head she saw that Ash and Dakota had been dropped to the rockface already. They didn't shift back yet, as they just laid there licking their wounds weakly.

Rhea got up and ran over to them, holding her arm as pain shot from the back of her shoulder blade. Her neck hurt as well as most parts over her body scattered from her legs up. But she pushed it aside and held Dakota's head in her arms.

Whimpering quietly, Ash stiffly tried getting up. "Ash stay down! And don't shift, the pain will be too much." Rhea corrected her, earning a groan from the grey pelted wolf as she plopped down again.

Bilbo was about to go over to them when Thorin woke up. "The Halfling?" He whispered, while Gandalf smiled in relief.

"It's alright, Bilbo is here." He informed him, "He's quite safe."

Dakota tried watching from where she lay, her eyes glazed as her ribs ached with every breath she took. Rhea held her close while examining Ash at the same time.

"Oin, can you get something to stop the bleeding?" Rhea asked, her eyes on Dakotas side, which was leaking more blood than even Dakota realized.

Oin went to work with whatever coats and material he could muster, but said that they need to go down into the forest so he could get what medicine and bandages he could. Rhea's eyes went to Ash whose hindleg looked oddly twisted, like one of the wargs broke it.

The rest of the company was so into watching how Thorin was doing and what he was gonna say to Bilbo, they didn't even turn around to notice the girls. Luckily Oin and Gloin were right by their side.

Gloin got some cloth and slowly approached Dakota, holding it out like he was gong help her stop bleeding. Dakota began to growl but Rhea held her head so it wasn't looking at Gloin. Rhea nodded to Gloin, telling him she would make sure the feisty golden-brown wolf would remain away from his head.

"You! What were you doing?" Thorin bellowed as soon as he shoved off the other dwarves from helping him stand. Bilbo swallowed and looked away nervously, not expecting this reaction from him. "You nearly got yourself killed!"

Bilbo looked at Gandalf for some kind of support but the grey wizard clearly had nothing to say and waited for the king to continue. Thorin took a few steps forward, "Did I not say that you would be a burden? That you would not survive in the wild. And you had no place amongst us."

Bilbo looked down, not wanting to look at Thorin right in the eyes. He could feel his heart pummel into the stone beneath his feet.

"I have never been so wrong in all my life." Thorin came forward and embraced Bilbo in a tight hug, one that completely took Bilbo by surprise. He smiled though, and patted him gently on the back, grateful the king wasn't truly mad at him for saving his life.

Thorin held him for a good few moments, showing him how much he appreciated the hobbit for stepping in and saving his life. The rest of the company cheered for them, while Thorin looked down at the hobbit, apologizing for ever doubting him.

"No, it's alright I would've doubted me too." Bilbo shrugged. "I'm not a hero, or a warrior…not even a burglar." They all chuckled.

Thorin smiled down at him, blue eyes sparkling, as the Eagles flew past one last time, giving a silent farewell in the background. Some of the dwarves turned to watch them go and Kili found himself looking straight at the wolves laying bleeding on the rock.

Shock entered his body as he saw Gloin holding the side of a growling Dakota, while Oin was failing at even touching Ash on her leg that was clearly broken. She kept flinching away and snapping her jaws at him.

Pushing forward and to a worried Rhea, he ran up to her. "Rhea! By Mahal I didn't even think about this I'm sorry!"

Rhea attempted to hold Dakota's snarling fangs at the close proximity of the dwarves as she looked at Kili with tearful eyes, her red hair a tangled mess over her face. "We need to help them."

Kili nodded right as Fili showed up next. "What can we do?"

Thorin noticed all the commotion and realization hit him about how the state of the girls were. Going to the front of the group he saw the pain all three of them were in, and the company all going up to them in a rush to help.

"They have to transform back this is too much. I can't readjust the leg like this and Dakota won't let Gloin help her!" Oin yelled at Rhea who contemplated the thought for a moment. She knew it was going to be a lot of pain for them, but as wolves they hated the crowd, and won't let themselves be helped. She didn't blame her packmates, she would've been the same.

"Dakota, switch back please." She told her, giving a pleading look into the silver depths. Dakota eyed her for a moment before shifting down into her human form again.

Ash, seeing Dakota do it, shifted herself too. Right as she did so she let out an ear-piercing scream. Grabbing her thigh as Oin came up fast as a whip to her leg.

Dakota was bleeding too much to even say a sound and that worried Rhea even more. All the dwarves came over to the girls now, not afraid of their wolves biting them for trying anymore.

Bilbo came up next to Ash and held her slightly as he watched Oin, Fili was on her other side while Nori, Dori, and Ori got some more cloth.

With Dakota, Rhea still held her head in her lap as she didn't even move. Dakota's arms went over her own stomach though in a silent plea to her body. She closed her eyes to will the excruciating pain to go away.

Balin, Dwalin, and Bofur stood around her as Gloin now pressed more around her ribcage. Blood was seeping through easily though. Bombour offered his cloak and handed it to Dwalin but Thorin took it instead and went next to Gloin.

"Dakota? Are you okay?" Rhea asked, her voice shaking a little.

Dakota opened her mouth but right as she did Thorin pressed against her bleeding wounds more. As there was a deep bite mark on her hip as well as the slashing across her stomach. Thorin looked over as Dakota winced and grabbed his forearm.

When she met his eyes she breathed heavily, "Ow." She stated.

Thorin kept applying pressure while he let Dakota squeeze his arm from the pain.

Oin on the other side, had finally gotten a good hold on Ash's leg. He looked to Fili and Bilbo. "You might want to hold her down for this."

Bilbo nodded, eyes wide while he wrapped his arms around Ash. Her hand went through her thick brown hair and she kept it on top of her head as she took deep breaths. Fili looked at her as he wrapped his arm around her waist, using the other to put on her opposite thigh.

As Oin saw she was secure, he swiftly, without even a word, snapped the bone back into place. Ash didn't scream this time, but she grunted loudly and Fili could feel her entire body tense up twice as much as before as her green eyes widened in the shock of it.

"By almighty gods _Oin_ you could've warned me!" Ash spat, chest heaving. Fili smirked at her as Bilbo kissed her head, relieved she was okay enough to retort things. When her eyes met Fili's she dropped her hand from her hair, "What are you smiling about blondie?" She grumbled.

"You did well." Fili complimented, giving her a bigger smile. He slowly released her from his hold.

"That hurt." She stated, brows furrowed in annoyance.

"You went through a lot." Fili pointed out, still looking at her. "Thank you for that."

Some of the dwarves nodded and said their own thank you's to the girls. For they knew a lot worse could've happened had they not had the giant wolves for backup.

Ash looked at Bilbo who smiled before looking back to Fili, "You're welcome." She replied quietly, surprised a little at their appreciation.

Dakota lied still as Oin came over and took the cloak from Thorin, helping him wrap it up properly. Dakota clenched her teeth over the sore wounds but slowly leaned up so she could properly sit forward.

"You should lay down Cotes, that is still bleeding heavily." Rhea suggested, looking at her with her brows furrowed in worry.

Dakota slightly shook her head, she didn't want to lay down in front of them and bleed out. "No, I'm fine. It'll heal quickly…"

"She's right. We need to find a place down this rock to camp. We've been through enough today." Thorin ordered, telling the rest of the company as well.

Dakota didn't have the energy to argue that she was going to be fine, besides the company must all be tired. It was a long day.

Rhea sat down on her haunches and tried stretching out her shoulders, feeling the bite marks and soreness go down her spine practically. She knew it was going to be ugly when she was examined by Oin later.

Kili kneeled down in front of her, "How are you? Where does it hurt?"

His dark brown eyes searched her face as she tried to mask a lot of the pain. Rhea sighed, "Kind of everywhere." She laughed weakly.

Frowning, Kili put a hand to her back, "Can you stand?"

Rhea nodded and Kili helped her steady as she got to her feet. Ori gave her some water from his flask and she patted his arm gently in a silent appreciation.

Ash was helped up by Fili mostly while Bilbo tried lifting her as much as he could. Fili wrapped her arm around his shoulder as he put his other hand to her waist, holding her weight. Ash would've said something teasing to him or at least a cruel joke but she clearly was not in the mood.

"Can you walk down Dakota?" Bilbo asked, his eyes worried from where he was holding Ash on the other side.

Dakota looked at him before slowly nodding and attempting to get to her feet. As she stiffly did so, she winced visibly and sat back down.

When Gloin tried to help her she shook her head and tried again, although this time Rhea motioned for Kili to help the stubborn she-wolf get steady on her feet. In which this time Dakota didn't push away as Kili held the cloth around her stomach and Gloin came back around to her other side.

Slowly but surely they all walked down the stone steps of the rockface, the setting sun barely showing itself now as it hid down the horizon each passing minute.

A couple rocks dislodged from the edge as the company walked down, with Thorin and Gandalf in the lead. Ori was sharing his water with Ash now while Rhea stepped right behind Dakota, who seemed to be fairly weaker as the more blood she lost. Rhea was surprised she hadn't passed out by now.

Ash was limping still, even though her leg was back in its place. But Fili and Bilbo kept up a good amount of her weight to it didn't make it worse.

As they made it to the bottom, half of the dwarves went out to get firewood and some food. Setting up bedrolls with what they had left. Bombour had set up the stew for them per usual as Fili and Bilbo put Ash down. Rhea went up to her and sat next to her, Ash gave her a small smile to let her know she was okay.

Kili came up to them as Dakota sat down next to Rhea, he gently put her down. "Thanks Kili…" Dakota averted her eyes a little. Kili nodded and went in front of Rhea next,

"You need to see Oin." He stated, not asking.

"I'll be okay, let him tend to others who need it more." She replied, trying to lean back but her back her so much it looked awkward. Even though she attempted to play it cool, Kili clearly knew she was hurting too.

He reached out and held he hand open for her. Rhea sighed as Ash pushed Rhea to her feet. Rhea turned back to give her a betrayed glare while Ash smirked.

As Kili held her hand he went over to Oin while Dakota narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the two of them. "What's going on with those two?"

Ash looked at her while Bilbo came back with something in his hand. "What do you mean?" She asked, but Dakota didn't have a chance to say anything else as Bilbo got some leaves in his arm and started putting them on the bites and scratches on Ash.

When Ori came up to put some leaves on Dakota she scowled at him and moved away. So Ori just looked over at Bilbo, not wanting to go near her if she was refusing to be helped. Bilbo was just putting some leaves and ointment on Ash's forearm but instead realized Dakota probably wasn't going to let anybody but him touch her. Ash was similar, but he had quite the thought come into his mind about her.

He searched around with his eyes until he found the blonde dwarf standing a few feet away talking with Nori. When Fili somehow looked over at Bilbo at the same time, the hobbit motioned for him to come over with a head nod.

Fili said one last thing to Nori who disappeared into the woods before walking up to Bilbo. "What is it?"

"Can you finish this with Ash? Dakota needs treatment and she's refusing." Bilbo informed him, giving an exasperated look slightly. Ash widened her eyes at him, wondering why he chose Fili out of all the dwarves to touch her wounds.

Although for some reason her soul wasn't completely opposed to it, she felt like she would be the same as Dakota if it were anybody but Bilbo. Something about Fili threw her off though and it made her very uncomfortable but curious all at once.

As she was musing she didn't realize Fili had taken the leaves and was gently patting them to her wounds, his light green eyes focused.

Feeling like she should kick him away or let him at the same time, Ash just pondered while tensely letting him help her. For she decided to hold herself a bit longer just to see how well he does. Besides it gave her an excuse to study him.

"You're giving me a look like you're deciding what to do with me." Fili stated obviously, just barely glancing at her.

Ash blinked a couple times, "What? No I'm not."

"Relax, I didn't mean that in a different way." Fili smirked and Ash realized what he meant by that.

"That's disturbing." She muttered, giving him a deadpanned look. Fili wrapped a bit more leaves around her arm, glancing at her once more.

"Is it? I found it rather amusing."

"No that's just gross."

Fili stopped for a brief moment without looking at her, something unknown flashing through his expression. He composed himself before she could translate it. "For you or for me?"

Ash gave him a wary but questioning look, "Both I would assume."

"You assume a lot of things about me." He retorted lightly, but he had a gentleness in his voice Ash had never really heard before.

"I don't really know you well enough. I only know how this acquaintanceship began, and that ain't pretty.

Fili nodded understanding, while Ash just watched him with her green eyes beginning to reflect the fire inside of them.

Fili finished and patted her arm once, before looking into the forest depths of her irises. They were a much darker green, like the broad leaves he's seen before in thick foliage. They were a little bright from the flames' reflection licking the space before her pupils.

"I suppose we'll have to see about that." He said before getting up and walking away, leaving Ash to contemplate what this princes game was up to.

* * *

Rhea and Kili talked to Oin for a moment before he gave them some leaves as well, whatever him and Bilbo found. As he offered to do it on Rhea's neck, Kili jumped in and said he would do it instead.

Rhea almost smiled at his eagerness to help her, but she tried biting her lip to stop the strange feeling in her stomach again. She truly wondered what that feeling was. Maybe she was getting sick?

Kili told her to sit down in front of a log a bit away from the company so that he can easily reach her back. Rhea sat down on the ground cross-legged and waited for him to start. Her back was killing her, she hoped this might ease the pain so she could get a good night's sleep.

She felt Kili's hand swoop around and move her hair to one side, as he did so she felt tingles down her arms like he was tickling her, but she figured it was just her own hair.

As Kili pressed the leaves into her skin, Rhea closed her eyes a couple times just to let the pain slip by each time. Even though she knew he was trying to be gentle, it was still open wounds and bruises.

"They really mauled you good." He observed, pressing down a little on the leaf. Rhea hummed in agreement, not entirely focused.

As more time passed Rhea spoke first, "Thank you for being kind to me." She told him honestly. She knew all the dwarves were doing much better around their company but Kili seemed to really trust her and it helped a lot when feeling comfortable around the others. She didn't feel as much of an outcast when he talked with her.

Kili stopped and turned her head around to look at him, his brows pulled together in slight confusion. "Why are you thanking me for that?"

"Because I know it must've been hard and very strange to have us join your company. Shifting wolves, I mean, I don't know I'd be freaked out. I wouldn't trust me." She mumbled, looking back down again.

"I think you showed me how real you are just by expressing kindness of your own. Even saving my life after barely knowing me." Kili explained behind her. "I still appreciate that, and all the other times you risked your life to keep the company safe. Like with the wargs on the plains, and especially earlier when everything seemed doomed for us."

Rhea nodded and turned to look at him again, seeing his small smile, she returned it. "You're welcome again." She teased.

Kili put a hand to her jaw, keeping her eyes locked onto his. Rhea felt him look deep into her, like he was trying to search straight into her soul. She felt so vulnerable just now, but she found herself not being able to look away. His soul intrigued her too, she wanted to know more.

She wanted to ask him so many questions about who he is or has been, what his plans are for his future when they finally reach his home.

As she thought of things to ask him, she noticed only a moment too late that Kili had inadvertently leaned forward, his eyes now inches from hers. Rhea almost wanted to double back, completed taken by surprise by this sudden urge of emotions.

When she didn't really know what to do, she simply just sat there, letting him get closer. She could feel his breath on her cheeks now, and her heart was thumping so loudly she felt it pulse in her ears. Did it get warmer out here? She felt warm. Way too warm.

"You are incredible…" He whispered, his words coming from his lips that just brushed against hers. Rhea knew this was wrong in some sense, she felt like strings in her head were pulling her back. This was a prince, a prince that was going to kiss a beast and she might just allow it. But should she?

Too late, Kili pressed his mouth to hers and she took in a breath as this feeling poured into her heart and soul. Almost like a binding of some sorts, with her arm reaching out to grab his bicep as he kissed her for a bit longer. A swirl of visions came upon her, and they happened so fast she didn't even think about remembering them for Kili's lips against hers was just euphoric. She had never felt this before about anyone and it was certainly special with this reckless and goofy dwarf she came to admire.

When she broke it apart, Kili raised his head and looked at her, both a little breathless from the recent endeavor. Rhea still had her arm entwined with his and his other hand was caressing the back of her neck. She soon realized that the pain she felt there had now ceased to exist.

As Kili smiled down at her, not regretting a single thing he did, Rhea shyly looked away to see if any other dwarf was watching. Luckily they were all much too focused on eating their supper Bombour and Bofur had cooked up. She breathed a sigh of relief.

She caught the sight of Ash and Dakota sitting up talking to each other while Bilbo brought them some food and she wished to go over to them now. But now her heart was strongly pulling to Kili and she had no idea where it was coming from. It was scary strong.

"Rhea." Kili's voice now sounded like an echo in a dream. Warm, inviting.

She turned to look at him.

"What's on your mind hm?" He smiled, getting her chest fluttering all over again.

Rhea took in a breath and just shook her head.

"Nothing." She assured him. Although there were many things.

What on Earth had she gotten herself into?


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

_*A few weeks later*_

As they had been travelling day by day, the girls healed very quickly like they said they would. Much faster than normal, as by day three they were already running and jumping over rocks like it was nothing. The company had moved rather faster than normal, getting up before sunrise and not resting until well after dark. Gandalf and Thorin thought it was best to put as much distance between them and Azog as they could.

Rhea and Kili had stuck together almost the entire time, only separating when the girls wanted to hunt or play chase and tackle as they traveled. They were also getting along much better with all the dwarves as the time they fought an entire pack of wargs to save their lives tended to relax them much more with the girls' nature.

They still slept together though, even though repeatedly Kili asked if Rhea could come closer to him when they rested, but each time she refused saying she needed to stay with her pack. But that's all she would say for now, because the real reason is she was terrified of Dakota and Ash. She had thought over the night they had first kissed, repeatedly. She believes she might have marked him somehow, or they were marked together in a sense. She knew it was a wolf thing, but she had such little knowledge about her culture before they were transported here, she didn't know what it truly meant.

However, almost like it was embedded into their brains, like centuries of this wolf thing has happened, was telling her that she definitely imprinted on Kili. She wasn't sure how, or why him, or what it means. But she sure as hell didn't say anything to anyone about it yet. All she felt was this massive urge to just be around him all the time and protect him. Like she's known him her whole life or something. It was crazy this emotion she felt. She guessed her previous feelings for him amplified tremendously once the mark was made.

The one thing she was scared of though, was how Dakota and Ash were going to react about it. If she truly marked Kili, and they were supposed to go home after this entire journey, could she truly leave him behind? She couldn't even bear the thought and she knew the bond would only get stronger with time. But separating herself from her pack, was the other half of her heart ripping away.

This was her mindset for weeks and it was driving her absolutely bonkers.

Ash had a temper yes, but she could certainly understand situations and handle them better even when her emotions aren't entirely positive for it. Dakota on the other hand, clearly wouldn't approve of her being with one of these dwarves, especially if it broke apart the pack. So in the end, Rhea decided she was going to tell Ash first, deal with that, and then she can have some backup when she approached Dakota.

She hoped.

With a plan in mind, all Rhea had to do next was figure out how to tell Ash she kissed a dwarf prince.

In her defense, they haven't actually kissed since that one time. They had been constantly surrounded by the company and could never truly get some alone time. Besides Rhea couldn't let it, Dakota and Ash would notice in a heartbeat if she tried hiding secret meetings with Kili.

But not ever touching him so closely or kissing him again actually made Rhea depressed, and she knew the girls were catching on to it.

* * *

Once Ash had sniffed out the nearby scent of wargs a day and a half ago, the company was sent into a traveling panic. They had slept very little for two nights now, and were moving at astonishing paces to keep ahead of the warg pack and Azog.

Somehow the beasts had tracked them after the Eagles put some great distance in between them. They managed to be sniffed out after weeks of moving about and being careful where they were camped.

So in worry, Gandalf stopped them near a cliff surrounded by rocks and told Bilbo to go up and see how close they were. Since he was the smallest and quietest, he was the best choice. Ash watched him closely as he crept up on his knees just far enough to pop his head out into the open.

Scratching his nose, Bilbo looked out and examined the area widely. While Ash kept her eyes on him intently to make sure he didn't fall or break a leg. She knew how that would've felt. It took her an extra two days to stop limping after Oin readjusted hers. She managed to travel well with the limp though, but when it was getting too much Dakota had carried her on her back. Much to her amusement.

The company all waited in silence as they waited for Bilbo to report back. Ori sneezed and Dakota shushed him, the young dwarf giving her a wounded look. Dakota smiled at her teasing towards him and bumped shoulders with him, the look on Ori's face relaxing as she was kidding.

When Bilbo came rushing back down he almost slipped and Ash shot her arm out to steady him. "Woah! Take it easy nothing is after you!" She told him, looking behind to make sure.

"How close is the pack?" Thorin asked, with Dwalin on his side.

"Too close, a couple of leagues, maybe less." Bilbo informed, "But that's not the worst part."

"They picked up our scent, I knew it." Dwalin answered before Bilbo could finish.

"Not yet, but they will." Bilbo affirmed negatively, opening his mouth to say what he was going to say in the first place.

"Did they see you? They saw you!" Gandalf interrupted this time, eyes wide as he figured it out. Rhea stood next to him and furrowed her brows.

"No, no." Bilbo shook his head.

"Ah, what did I tell you? Quiet as a mouse." Gandalf told everyone else.

"Just listen-"

The dwarves chatted and laughed gratefully at Gandalf, ignoring him.

"Will you _just_ listen?" Bilbo surprisingly brought out his annoyance.

"Everyone shut up!" Ash snapped.

The dwarves and Gandalf practically jumped at her tone, and then remained silent.

"Thank you Ash." Bilbo nodded, a little exasperated. Ash gave him a little salute before he continued.

"I'm trying to tell you that there is something else out there." He finally said, while the dwarves dropped their shoulders and looked around, exhausted enough.

"What's next? Ash moaned, thumping her head against the rock. They had traveled so much and so fast, they were all wearing down quickly. She knew they couldn't do this for much longer.

"What form did it take? Like a bear?" Gandalf questioned ominously, while everyone's head snapped over in his direction.

"Y-Yes but bigger, much bigger." Bilbo stammered, surprised Gandalf knew what it was too. Ash swallowed, wondering just how big. She felt like she didn't want anymore battle scars for a least a few more weeks.

"You knew about this beast?" Bofur asked fearfully, but a little questioning towards the wizards intentions himself.

Ash figured the dwarves called any animal with sharp teeth 'beast' at this point. Sometimes they still refer to the girls this way but they never mean any harm from it by now.

She took a step forward next to Bilbo, looking right at Gandalf, "Look, I will fight many a warg, but a giant bear is concerning to me."

"Yeah I'm out on that one too, any other plans?" Rhea piped up from where she stood wide eyed. Dakota scratched the back of her head and gave a _'ehhh'_ look to all of them. She wasn't a fan either.

"I say we double back." Bofur offered, not wanting to run into the beast, most of the company agreed.

"And be run down by a pack of orcs?" Thorin retorted.

"We have giant wolves on our side, can't they scare the bear off?" Ori asked, innocent as always. He looked over at Dakota next to him who widened her eyes. Some of the dwarves looked too.

"Yeah okay, let's try and find a way around fighting the bear. I'm not feeling like being slapped around like a doll right now." She suggested warily, trying to pass the message they really didn't want to fight a bear twice their size almost.

"What happened to that confidence you're known for?" Dwalin teased, not showing a smile. Dakota rolled her eyes,

"You know, I'm a giant wolf, not an invincible dragon. This surging faith in our abilities needs to tone down a bit with all of you."

She crossed her arms over her chest while Ash agreed. Sure they could fight a lot together but when the opponent is built just like them except with twice the muscle, they tend to be more wary. Especially after just healing from their last mauling.

Some of the dwarves chuckled, but the tense air was still around and Thorin just gave a look to Dwalin before searching behind them once more.

"There is a house." Gandalf spoke up. "Not far from here, where we might take shelter."

"Might?" Rhea repeated, peeking over at Gandalf.

"Whose house?" Thorin asked, clearly done talking so much with the wargs tracking them. "Are they friend or foe?"

"Neither."

Ash raised her brows, and slightly threw her arms up, "Helpful."

Gandalf just glanced at her, "He will help us, or he will kill us."

"What choice do we have?" Thorin tested, but right as he said it a bellowing roar echoed throughout the land. The entire company turned around in every direction wondering which side it was coming from. It sounded huge and monstrous, and Ash felt like running for the hills at that point.

When she looked back at Gandalf, he gave an inevitable expression. "None."

* * *

Gandalf led the way as they practically sprinted through the forest. Ash stayed on one side of the line of dwarves while Dakota brought up the rear. Rhea was running relatively close to Kili and Fili in the front. They could've gone full sprint but they stayed behind to make sure everyone was keeping up.

The roars continued as the bear got onto the trails of the dwarves, the scent fresh. Gandalf saw some of them pause and fearfully look around. "Quickly! Come on!"

Bombour was frozen as he shook a little back at where they were coming from, but Thorin ran past and grabbed his beard, pulling him along, "Bombour let's go!"

They ran past the trees and splashed into the water they crossed, the girls jumping over rocks and keeping an eye on everything around them at the same time.

Ash saw Dakota catch Balin as he tripped over himself and she had a thought come into her mind as Dakota ran up beside her. "Cotes!"

"What?" Dakota looked behind her once more to check for the bear.

"Doesn't this feel like running from old man Wickers?" She panted, whipping through the grass.

"You're thinking about that now?"

"Yes but it was rather funny. You really know how to make people mad."

Dakota gave her a glare, "Do you really think now is the time for this?"

Ash spoke between huffs, "I'm just saying…the thrill of it then…it's kind of similar to what we go through these days."

"Tell that to my underfur a few weeks ago."

As a massive open field came into view, so did the house Gandalf must've been talking about. He urged them on even faster and Bombour himself was getting a newfound burst of speed, flying past all of them.

"You think we can take it?" Ash wondered, feeling like they weren't gonna make it. She could hear its pounding paws against the ground as it came closer.

"I really don't want to if I'm being honest." Dakota replied, slowing a little so she can bring up the rear again. Ash followed her lead, feeling like her heart was preparing itself for a fight as well.

Rhea was way up front, so she couldn't hear the other two girls as they mentally psyched themselves up in order to face the beast if they had to.

Once the first line of dwarves made it through the front archway of the house, they all ran straight into the door, Bombour failing at going headfirst as he bounced right off it and onto the ground. Fili and Kili reached it next, pounding on it to try and get it to open.

As Gandalf remained last, he eyed the forest behind them. Ash and Dakota stopped just before him and whipped around just in time to see the bear burst out of the trees and charge right after them.

"That's terrifying! Let's go!" Ash started but Dakota stayed where she was, keeping her gaze on the bear. Gandalf gave them both a look,

"We need to get inside the house." He ordered, turning around to the dwarves struggling to open the hatch. Ash and Dakota stepped back slowly, nervously watching the bear zoom in closer, his eyes black with fury. The muscles on him rippled and bunched every time he galloped, and his claws were tearing into the dirt sending it flying behind him.

"It's stuck!" Dwalin called out, while Thorin tried pushing the handle up himself, but no luck. Gandalf came next and tried to, but when nothing he looked back at Ash and Dakota who were standing stiffly near the archway. He gave them a look saying they needed time and the girls turned around to look at the bear.

Taking deep breaths, they shifted themselves into their wolves right there. Jumping into the air and dropping on all fours, their ears twitching in nervousness.

Dakota clawed the ground as the bear got dangerously closer, _'Okay, we can do this.'_

Ash shook herself before answering, _'Yeah, yeah we can'_

'_We can do this!'_ Dakota said louder, growling to hype themselves up.

'_I believe!'_

'_We are wolves! We can outsmart anything and work as a team!'_

'_Yeah!'_ Ash stomped the ground with her paw. _'Bring it on!'_

Dakota raised her tail up, _'We are going to show that bear who's really the strongest and most feared beasts in Middle-Earth!'_

'_We are!'_

'_Let's get him!'_

'_We're gonna die!'_

Dakota roared and charged forward with Ash sprinting right after her. The bear let out his own bellow and raised up on his hindlegs. The sheer size of him caused Dakota to falter a little and jump sideways as he brought he gigantic paw over her head. Unfortunately that left Ash right behind her and she got smacked into oblivion and tossed a few feet away.

With a thump Ash rolled herself over and stood back up, shaking herself. _'Okay not the best first attempt'_

She saw Dakota go around the back and manage to bite into his leg. The bear dropped to all fours and turned around to reach her. He bit her scruff and swung her around and onto the ground ahead.

Ash snapped her jaws at him as she approached, but before he could touch her with his claws she jumped away. Running around him in circles as she kept tease biting him and confusing him all over the place.

'_Genius! Put his back to me!'_ Dakota hollered, crouching as Ash went around the other side distracting the bear.

When his hind was to her, Dakota pounced and landed on his back, biting the fur on his shoulder as hard as she could. Although it felt like biting into a tree log, there was so much mass into it.

The bear roared and spun around in a circle trying to throw her off. Ash came up to the other side and attached herself on his left, clamping her fangs around his ear and digging her claws into him.

The bear kept whipping back and forth trying to reach both the girls who were hanging on for dear life.

He managed to shake off Ash, and when she crashed into the ground his massive jaws went in for the kill. Ash flinched away but before his teeth could meet her neck another body slammed into his head with so much force the bear was knocked sideways and into the ground.

Stumbling to her paws, Ash saw a familiar cream-pelted wolf biting the face of the bear.

_'Rhea!'_ She called happily.

Rhea was thrown off the bear and rolled over to her paws to face him again, her ears flat against her head. _'You took on the bear without me?!'_ She growled, snapping her jaws.

'_I thought you were too scared!'_ Dakota said as she fell off slightly and lost her grip on the bears back.

_'I'm terrified and so are you! Don't even start'_ Rhea told her, jumping in to bite the bear again.

'_I for one am regretting not inviting her earlier'_ Ashe admitted, coming in to help them by growling and biting at his ankles.

Dakota fell forward with a hurl as the pond that was nearby came upon her quickly. Her body dropped into the shallow water with a mighty splash.

Ash got an idea suddenly as Rhea got whapped sideways as well. _'We gotta run'_ Ash barked.

Dakota stood up from the pool, her fur soaking wet. _'You what?'_

Rhea ran around the bear, going forwards than jumping back, keeping him at a distance while getting him frustrated at the same time.

_'We gotta tire him out, and get him away from the dwarves. We gotta run, now! Rhea!'_ Ash ordered the light colored she-wolf, who took that and figured out what she needed to do.

Whipping around she bolted for the woods, while Dakota gave an uncertain glance, her silver eyes gleaming in the sunlight before following suit and biting more at the sides of the bear. Ash went ahead of it too, snarling at it as she went past. Luckily, the bear took the bait and chased after them. Definitely not as fast, but nimble enough to keep them on their toes at all times.

With that, the girls and the bear disappeared into the forest, while the company locked themselves safely into the house.

* * *

A few hours went by, and Bilbo was pacing the wooden floor back and forth. His hand to his chin, eyes down, Bilbo kept going again and again.

"Bilbo, what's got ya?" Bofur asked, coming up to the worrying hobbit and putting a hand on his shoulder.

Bilbo sighed, "It's the girls. It's been hours and they haven't come back."

"I was wondering where they ran off to." Fili pitched in, overhearing as he took a few steps down the stairs. He leaned over a bit to avoid the sharp horns of the cows next to him as he approached closer.

Bilbo still looked spacey, like he could only think about what's taking them so long. "They went after the bear. I-I mean they helped distract it while we were trying to get inside." He put his hands on his hips and looked over at the window.

"You're telling me they went after the bear? Are they mad?" Fili looked astounded.

"No, no. I mean yes sometimes they can be a little too brave but that's mostly cause one of them eggs it on." Bilbo shook his head and waved a hand, "But that not the point! The point is they are still out there and it's already dark out. I tried looking out but there's a heavy mist in the air, I can't spot them."

"Relax, I'm sure they can handle themselves quite well Master Baggins." Kili showed up and patted Bilbo on the back.

"Of course they can, did you see how they fought the wargs a few weeks ago?! They were so ferocious!" Dori piped in from where he sat on one of the benches next to Ori. Gloin, Bombour and Bifur all nodded in agreement across from him.

"And don't forget how fast they are, Rhea can outrun anything! I'm sure that bear collapsed from exhaustion and they decided to go hunting." Kili smiled at Bilbo, who somewhat gave one in return. Albeit still a bit nervously waiting for their return to be soon.

"Aye even I'll admit having giant wolves on our side has been a blessing for this journey." Balin added, giving a knowing look. "Don't worry a thing laddie, they seem to work incredibly well as a pack."

Bilbo nodded, feeling a bit better with their faithful words. He went up to the window once more anyway and peeked out.

When still there was nothing, Bilbo drooped his head and came back down again. "Maybe they're hurt or something."

Thorin came from talking with Dwalin and leaned on the wood post nearby, "Who's hurt?"

Bilbo glanced at him, "The girls. They drew Beorn out into the woods and never came back. I'm worried for them."

Thorin tilted his head a little, "They seem to always put themselves in situations like this."

Bilbo looked at him and slightly nodded but hoped to make it seem better in a way, "Well, they made sure we didn't get eaten alive earlier." Bilbo laughed lightly before clearing his throat, noticing Thorin's dry expression wasn't appreciative.

"They got themselves into it, they can get themselves out." Was all he said before looking over at Balin. The older dwarf sighed at that.

Most of the dwarves exchanged looks as well, uncertain. Bilbo was feeling less better about it now.

"I'm sure that whatever happens, they'll be able to find their way back to us." Gandalf supported, coming up next to Bilbo. He looked around at all of them before moving on with the conversation, "We can rest here tonight, he will not be coming back soon. It is safe."

The dwarves separated and got their bedding ready and such as they settled down for the rest of the evening. Most of them staying up and sharing stories or just chatting and observing some of the animals inside.

Fili was talking with his brother in the corner when he looked over at Bilbo who kept glancing over at the door. The hobbit then stood up and peeked out the window once more. Sighing, he searched around as much as he could.

"Where could they be…" Bilbo asked himself.

"Still no sign of them eh?" Fili's voice right next to him startled the poor halfling. "Apologies." He said after making Bilbo jump.

Bilbo shook his head and sighed again, looking back out.

Fili followed his eyes and looked with him for a brief moment, only being able to see the dark mist surrounding the land and forest. "Kili is actually very worried too."

Bilbo glanced at the blonde prince for a moment, looking like he was slightly surprised. Fili kept his eyes outside. "He has grown very fond of her."

Bilbo peered down and thought about that for a moment. Trying not to think too much into it but already knowing which 'her' he was referring to. "Well, what's not to like about them?" He chuckled lightly.

Fili put his green eyes on Bilbo, seeming to think about something. "What do you see in them?" He asked genuinely.

Bilbo took a deep breath and rocked slightly on his feet, thinking for it. "I have always seen them as loyal, and stubborn, and extremely playful. Even at the worst of times. They always mean well though, just a bit clumsy." Reminiscing about the times the girls would wrestle each other made him miss them even more.

"I'm surprised you didn't say kind." Fili joked, sending a smirk to Bilbo who smiled and shook his head.

"I didn't. Rhea has more of that than the other two, she was always more of the one that was capable of creating faster friendships. Even if they didn't last long."

Fili furrowed his brows, "Didn't last long?"

"Well, once word started spreading about what they were. People just…stopped interacting with them. They were afraid. All the girls truly had were each other growing up." Bilbo shrugged.

Fili nodded in understanding. "I didn't have the best reaction for it either."

Bilbo observed his expression, he could almost hear a tone of regret in that sentence. The young prince looked like he genuinely felt bad. So Bilbo decided to cheer him up,

"They really are the best companions to have, they make excellent fun in all things they choose. Despite having a rough start, they've grown into faithful, strong young women."

Fili recognized what he said, remembering something. "Their 'rough start'. Do you know anything about it?"

Bilbo just stared at him, pondering. "It's best for those kinds of stories to be told by the ones that were there."

The meaning behind those words hit Fili's curiosity hard, and he wondered what kind of world these massive shapeshifting wolves came from, and how they even got here in the first place.

Deciding to change the subject, Fili noticed Bilbo was looking sad again. "Do you have any stories about the girls?"

"Stories?"

"Yes, we always like to share stories before bedtime. You should share some embarrassing ones about Ash so I have something to tease her about." Fili smirked, making Bilbo chuckle.

"Ah, I'm not sure if you really want to know…"

"Hey lads, want to hear some interesting stories about the girls before they come back?" Fili announced to some of the dwarves nearby. They all clapped their hands and shouted 'yes', excited to hear. Bilbo smiled wider and followed Fili over to them and sat down.

"Well, where to start?" He placed his hands on his knees.

"Start with the good ones of course!"

* * *

The next morning, early before the sunrise barely peaked over the horizon, the dwarves were woken by Gandalf. Along with some help.

When Fili was shook by his shoulder, he jumped forward with his hidden dagger aiming it for the thing touching him. But a hand caught his wrist before he even made it close and he found himself looking directly into forest green eyes.

Her dark brown hair was up in a half ponytail, braided at the sides like it was just done this morning.

Fili widened his eyes. "Ash?"

"Do you always sleep with a dagger next to your head?" She asked.

Fili relaxed a little, hiding the fact at how happy he was she was back and very much alive and unharmed.

"Only when wolves wake me from my sleep." He joked.

"I'll remember that next time." Ash released his wrist and stood up, "Come on, you gotta introduce yourselves."

He was beginning to put his boots on when he gave her a confused expression. "To whom?"

Ash picked up her quiver laying on the floor and strapped it to her back along with her bow. "Well the bear. Man. Man-bear thing." She contorted her face at that.

"Don't you mean you?" Fili laughed, "Just a wolf-thing?"

"I am a female warrior that can shoot you in the eye and bite your throat out in the same fight. I'd like to consider myself above a 'thing'. Thank you, next."

She turned around and headed for Gandalf by the door while the other dwarves got ready as the familiar sights of Rhea and Dakota were here too, also looking just fine.

"Rhea! You're okay!" Kili ran up from where he lay and almost knocked the girl over in a tight hug. Rhea put on a surprised expression before relaxing and hugging him back.

"Of course I am. Nothing can catch me." She smirked, making Kili laugh. Some of the dwarves actually watched the two and were smiling themselves, looking adored.

"What on earth happened?" Balin questioned. "You were gone all night. We were all worried."

Ash looked over at Dwalin and Thorin's faces and sort of doubted that.

"Eh, well I'll put it shortly." Rhea started. "We ended up facing Beorn later in the woods. But after about a minute he just stopped."

"You know his name?" Dwalin tested, looking like he didn't trust their story somehow.

"Yeah he told us. Dummy." Ash shot back, before putting her eyes on Rhea once more. "And let's not leave anything out shall we?"

"Ash shut your mouth." Dakota rolled her eyes, picking up some leftover food and tossing it in a makeshift bin nearby.

Thorin stepped down from the stair he was standing on, eyes narrowed. "Leave what out? What did you do?"

"I did nothing. Jeez, give me a break!" She retorted, aggressively throwing cheese into the barrel while giving him a glare.

"Basically when she was facing Beorn off after me and Rhea got tossed to Rivendell and back, he just stared at her and then stopped." Ash continued, smirking at her friend. Dakota ignored her.

"What does that mean?" Ori piped in from the side.

"OH nothing, just that we all became good friends after that. We helped him patrol the boundaries because there were orc scents everywhere." Ash crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the wooden support.

"Yeah, sure that's what that meant." Dwalin subtly threw a smirk at Dakota who crunched carrots in her fist looking at him. Thorin wavered his gaze from him to her.

"No, it meant Dakota was so ugly snarling he had to stop the abomination." Ash laughed.

"You know what? Says the one who gets thrown like a leaf every time he so much as breathed on you." Dakota quipped, raising a brow.

Rhea giggled and pointed at Ash. The green-eyed archer stepped down from where she stood, "You're not any better Rhea, you ran into a tree!"

Kili widened his eyes while Rhea gasped, "You said you wouldn't tell anyone!"

"You shouldn't have taken Dakota's side then!"

"I didn't!"

"You both stink at fighting!" Dakota chimed in, teasing. "I did most of the work anyways."

"Well you took a bath in the middle of that so, no you didn't." Rhea baited, laughing.

"You need a bath!"

"No!"

Dakota grabbed a jug of milk nearby and ran to Rhea who squealed and took off on the other side of the room. Ash went after Dakota to stop her and they all ran in circles around each other.

Bilbo chuckled, he was glad to have them back.

* * *

**I like to expand "personalities" per say, I'm not really one of those authors that enjoys describing characters and how beautiful they are and being like GODDESSES within the first two chapters and the guys are head over heels instantly. I mean they are quite the tomboys and they are wolves so, point being, they ain't like that. I like having different personalities for each of them but also they share traits too, because in reality, not everyone acts the exact same as you described ALL the time, you know?**

**Besides it's fun to paint a picture as a reader on what you think they should look like, I mean I gave you the hair color and eyes, the rest is up to you! Even the armor! I focus more on personalities than the looks anyways.**

**(les be honest doe, wolves are badass)**

**I also like using certain chapters as bonding moments for characters, just like this one. I find it rather interesting and unique, and fun to write. **

**What do you think? **

**More fun next chapter, see you soon :P**

**-Pyrite**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

As the girls composed themselves, the dwarves gathered around the back door where Gandalf stood. They were all chattering about how they can leave without Beorn noticing. Nori suggested giving him the slip more than once but Gandalf wasn't having it.

"There's no point in arguing! We cannot pass through the wilder land without Beorn's help." He declared, getting them to their senses. "We'll be hunted down, before we even reach the forest."

The girls just then arrived at the scene, looking like they were all cool with each other after the teasing. They listened in as Gandalf continued with the plan, looking over at Bilbo who had just peered over Thorin's shoulder.

"Bilbo, good. Now this will require some delicate handling, we must tread very carefully. The last person to have startled him was torn to shreds." Gandalf looked at them all with a stern warning.

The girls all looked at each other with partially intrigued expressions while Kili exchanged a somewhat concerned glance with his uncle. Bilbo stood in the middle of them and widened his eyes.

"I will go first and Bilbo," He motioned for the hobbit to come. "You will come with me."

Dakota jerked forward from leaning on the wooden post, "Woah woah woah. You just said if he gets startled he'll rip him to shreds. I'm not letting Bilbo go with you if you aren't sure nothing will happen."

"Why don't you just go first and introduce us since you and him got so cozy." Dwalin huffed.

Dakota gave him a dry look, "Maybe I should just eat you myself."

Dwalin made a grunting noise almost like a growl and took a step forward while Fili stopped him before he did something he'd regret.

Thorin nodded for Bilbo to go and he stepped forward to face Gandalf, "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Rhea, why don't you come out with us. Since he knows you it might be better." Gandalf suggested.

Rhea raised her brows, "Uh, sure I suppose."

"It might help Bilbo feel better, too." Gandalf smiled, while Bilbo nodded vigorously.

Rhea followed them out as Gandalf told them to wait for the signal to move out in pairs. Ash was supposed to come with Bombour while Dakota offered to come out last so Beorn could see the whole party first. She really didn't want to see him and his human face after last night. Quite embarrassing.

Gandalf also figured that Rhea was more likely to have a peaceful outcome if Beorn got upset, rather than her packmates who seem to be more defensive on these things.

As Gandalf went to go introduce himself, Bofur forgot what the signal was, which led him to lead the dwarves out quicker than expected. Beorn seemed stressed over how many there were, even though he saw Rhea and Ash he was annoyed with the number of dwarves.

When Thorin and Dakota were all that's left, she waited for him to step out but he hesitated. Staring out at the door.

Dakota peered over at him, "Thorin?"

He didn't say anything just clenched his fists.

"If this doesn't go well. I want you to fight him until the rest of us can get away." He said quickly.

Dakota widened her eyes and took a step forward, "I can't fight him alone. Even with the girls he-"

"You will do it." Thorin turned to look at her, his blue eyes fierce.

Dakota didn't know what to say. Why must she fight off a bear while they all safely get away? She wasn't one to run from a fight though, but the way he was ordering it made her want to do it less.

"Maybe you shouldn't let it go wrong then." Her silver eyes went hard.

Thorin just glared at her, "Be prepared."

"Yeah yeah I'll sacrifice myself so you can get away safely. That's what I'm here for right?" She spat.

He tilted his head a little, "Isn't it?"

_Wow._

He slowly walked out and in the open to face Beorn as the last dwarf, while Gandalf attempted to smooth things over with how many there were. All while Dakota remained inside, with her gaze to the floor and her eyes cold.

* * *

When they all made it back inside, it appeared that Beorn had accepted their stay and offered them some food. He got a huge jug of milk and began to pour some into their drinks while they all took their prospective spots around the table. Their heads barely able to look over the darn thing as it was so tall.

Rhea sat next to Kili on his right while Ash sat by Bilbo on the far end. Dakota stood standing opposite of Thorin as she said she wasn't feeling hungry at the moment. Ash and Rhea however dug into the food like savages. They threw each other pieces from across the table to share and stuffed their mouths.

Thorin was musing to himself while looking disgusted by their behavior, and come to mention it none of the dwarves were digging into the food like they usually do. Dakota furrowed her brows in curiosity at whether they all silently agreed to be more respectful here.

However when Thorin looked to her and gave her warning eyes that they need to calm down and act better, she simply shrugged and averted her gaze.

Beorn also didn't seem to mind either as Ash chucked an apple over everyone and yelled, "Heads!"

Dakota moved her eyes back to Thorin and caught the fruit with one hand, not even looking at how close it would've hit her face. Thorin narrowed his ice blue eyes, not liking her impertinent attitude towards him.

"So, you are the one they call Oakenshield." Beorn started, pouring milk into Fili's jug. The young prince glanced down at it, seeing how much there was to fill. "Tell me, why is Azog the Defiler hunting you?"

Thorin shifted his rough gaze from Dakota to the giant man. "You know of Azog? How?"

Dakota took a slow bite into her apple and watched the dwarves sit stiffly around each other. Rhea happily munched on some bread while Kili smiled at her.

"My people were the first to live in the mountains. Before the orcs came down from the North. The defiler killed most of my family. But some he enslaved." Beorn somberly looked down at the ground and Ash closest to him, noticed the chain around his wrist at the same time Bilbo did. The poor hobbit felt so bad he couldn't look for long and felt like it was disrespectful to stare.

Rhea couldn't imagine living as an animal herself in chains, and felt sorry for Beorn and what he had to go through. She saw Ash was feeling the same as she chewed much slower on her food. Kili touched her thigh from under the table in comfort and she gave him a reassuring smile. She wasn't going to be locked in chains, not ever.

She noticed Fili gaze at Ash from across the table, the same kind of images going through his head by the looks of it. Rhea wondered if Ash knew how often Fili looks at her with care. Once Rhea saw how open Kili really was, she noticed much more than before, and her packmates were far from understanding.

"For work?" Dakota's voice echoed across the room and most eyes went to her. She kept her half-eaten apple in her hand while silver-grey eyes were locked on Beorn. There was some sympathy showing there that was rare to anyone but Bilbo and the girls.

Beorn read her expression before answering, "No. For sport."

Dakota's eyes went hard as she angrily thought about what the nasty orcs did to Beorn and his kind.

"Caging skin changers and torturing them, seemed to amuse him." He finished. Pouring more milk into Ori's jug this time.

"There are others like you?" Bilbo asked quietly.

"Once there were many."

"And now?"

Beorn stopped and his expression turned into deep sadness, "Now there is only one."

Ash's chewing halted and Rhea swallowed hard. Dakota just watched him as some of the dwarves looked at each other.

"Just imagine what he would do to the girls if he caught up to us." Balin stated, thinking about animal shifters all together from Beorn's story.

Beorn nodded slightly and in turn looked at the three girls, same with everyone else. Ash chewed slowly with wide eyes while Rhea cleared her throat, "Well, that won't happen. Together as a pack we can almost fight anything."

Beorn smiled a little at her courage as Ash nodded confidently, her mouth still filled with food. Some of the dwarves made noises of agreement.

"Besides it would really be a bummer to see such extraordinary creatures be tortured for amusement." Gandalf added with a gleam in his eye. The girls, not used to such terms being said in good ways, just kind of stared at him. The dwarves agreed once more around them. "I'm sure our companions will always handle themselves well."

"Damn right." Ash confirmed, finally able to speak. A few chuckles were heard around the table as Balin came up and patted her on the back with a grin.

"Not everyone thinks so highly of us in this company like you do Gandalf. But thank you for your kind words." Dakota said with a slight edge in her tone, the space between the words obvious to only a select few. One of them being rigid with anger and annoyance right across from her.

Beorn set aside the jug of milk and addressed the issue once more, "You need to reach the mountain before the last days of autumn?"

"Before Durin's day arrives yes." Gandalf affirmed, smoke pipe in hand.

"You are running out of time." Beorn stated bluntly.

"Jeez you'd think he'd sugar coat it." Ash huffed, licking honey off her lips. Bilbo gave her a napkin and wiped her chin while Ash tried to flinch away from his fatherly motions. "Stahhhp, that's embarrassing!" She whispered harshly, whacking his hand away. Bilbo kept trying though.

Gandalf moved on while Bombour and Ori nearby chuckled at the two and Gloin pulled Bilbo back. "Which is why we must go through Mirkwood."

Beorn gave his attention on the wizard after that, "A darkness lies upon that forest. Foul things creep beneath those trees. I would not venture there, except in great need."

"We will take the elven road." Gandalf nodded, sure of himself. "Their path is still safe."

Thorin seemed bothered by this ill news of the dangers of the forest and started walking the other way, his mind somewhere else. Dakota watched him and his actions occasionally.

"Safe? The wood elves of Mirkwood are not like their kin. They're less wise, and more dangerous." Beorn warned, eyeing Thorin too from across the room.

"But it matters not." He added.

Thorin turned around to look at him, eyes questioning, "What do you mean?"

"These lands are crawling with orcs. Their numbers are growing. And you are on foot. You will never reach the forest alive."

"Bet." Ash grumbled, brows furrowed in determination. Rhea was wary though while Dakota just aimlessly bit into her apple more. Looking uninterested.

Beorn glanced at the blonde, seeing her black leather armor covered in dirt and missing a few laces as they were ripped out. He saw earlier the looks Thorin and Dwalin gave them, and he knew exactly what the looks were.

He stood up and went closer to the dwarf king, "I don't like dwarves. They're greedy, and blind. Blind to those they deem lesser than their own."

He averted his eyes to Dakota once more and Thorin followed his intent behind the words as he saw her too. Dakota however, just watched Beorn as he made his way over, picking up a mouse that was harmlessly going over some crumbs by Rhea.

"But orcs I hate more. What do you need?"

Thorin tilted his head a little in almost a relief like way, getting a bit annoyed with how many mixed signals this giant man was sending.

When Gandalf told Beorn what they needed, he was willing to help them get the horses and ready to ride soon. But first some things were needed to get packed and ready to go for the day so Gandalf said to give each other an hour before heading off.

All the dwarves split up into separate groups while the girls went over to the other end of the room. Bilbo went with Gandalf to talk along with Thorin. Fili and Kili waited last to see what the girls were up to.

Kili grabbed Rhea's hand quickly, "Where you off to?"

Rhea blinked at him and turned to make sure Ash or Dakota didn't see. "I'm going to my girls, we need to talk over some things."

"Like what?" Fili budged in, clearly wanting to overhear over his brothers shoulder.

Rhea smiled at his cheekiness and replied, "Some things I'm sure your brother had to tell you as well."

Fili smirked as Kili made an 'oh' expression. "Right. I didn't really tell him, he just figured it out."

Fili winked, "That's because you make it so obvious when your around. It's almost sickening." He faked disgust and Kili shoved his shoulder.

Rhea knew Fili was joking so she pushed away the thought of the rest of the dwarves actually thinking it was wrong of her to let Kili have feelings for her, and for her to reciprocate them. It's not like they can help feelings, but she still had doubts all over the place.

"Hey what's wrong? He was joking I swear." Kili lifted her chin up to meet his eyes. Rhea smiled and released his hand while Fili just shrugged.

"No worries. I'll be back soon." She stood up from the bench and went over to the girls as they faced away from everyone.

When she approached Ash was mumbling something about probably needing to shift into their wolf forms in order to stay caught up.

"We wouldn't be able to run if they go almost full speed on the ponies, you know they aren't going to casually trot like they normally would."

Dakota nodded and agreed while Rhea brushed shoulders with Ash to let her know she was standing there. Her friends dark green eyes met hers as she smiled, "There you are."

"I also agree on what you said. It sounds fair." Rhea told them. "Not looking too much fun on foot just thinking about it. Hopefully it's further into the wilds we could run freely without prying eyes."

"I'm sure it would be. Besides riding the ponies is something they'll suggest and no way am I putting myself on the back of a grazer." Dakota shook her head at the thought.

When the dwarves rustled around getting ready she spoke again, "Before we leave I'm gonna relieve myself so, I'll be right back."

Ash and Rhea nodded and the red head figured this would be the perfect time to get Ash alone. When Dakota walked up to the front door and left, Rhea waited a couple seconds to make sure she was definitely out of earshot.

She turned to Ash who was attempting to wipe off the honey on her dark green leather bracers. "Wow this stuff really gets everywhere I mean this wasn't even near my bracers, like come on-"

"Ash I need to talk to you." Rhea interrupted, showing her urgency through her eyes as Ash lifted her head.

"Uh, what's wrong?"

"It's just something I've really needed to talk to somebody about, and honestly, you might take this better than Cotes." Rhea insisted, her hazel eyes shimmering with nervousness. Ash furrowed her brows slowly,

"I'm now very concerned." She lifted one brow, "Did you take a bite out of Bombour?"

Rhea opened her mouth to answer before the accusation caused her to pause, "What? No, jeez Ash I wasn't ever _that_ hungry."

Ash gave a doubtful look but took the answer anyway. She motioned for Rhea to speak after that, "Alright so, what's on your mind?"

"Promise you won't get mad."

"Rhea, I'm getting mad you're not telling me. Spit it out." Ash rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips.

"_Ash._" Rhea pleaded, eyes begging.

The brunette pondered for a moment, looking at Rhea with curious forest green irises.

She released a breath, "Fine. Promise. Now what?"

Rhea closed her eyes and clenched her fists, "I kissed Kili." She blurted.

Silence.

_Oh god she's gonna smack me._ Rhea waited for the impact, but nothing.

When she opened her eyes, she saw what she expected. Disappointment and anger.

"Look, I know it happened kind of fast, but in all truths we really just hit it off and he makes me feel so warm when I'm around him and he really likes me back but these past few weeks have been driving me insane because I have no idea what it means or if it's as bad as I think or what's truly supposed to happen now. I mean what I want to happen is a lot of things but not really like, bad things more like good ones where me and Kili are good to be together without problems are death glares or my head on a spike, which is totally reasonable if they did that, not that I wanna die or anything-"

"Rhea." Ash cut her off.

Rhea inhaled, not realizing she forgot to breathe. "Sorry." She looked guiltily up at her, quite literally as Ash was an inch or two taller.

"First off," She shot her arm out and smacked her upside the head. Rhea flinched and held the sore spot.

"Ow!"

"That's for getting yourself into this situation." Ash explained, leaving one hand on her hip and shifting her weight to that side.

"Yeah, expected." Rhea rubbed the area a little.

"And second," She sighed, giving her a sympathetic look, "It's going to be difficult for you. If these goes on until the end of the journey, are you going to come back home with us?"

Rhea remained silent, unsure of that answer herself. "I don't wanna leave you guys…"

"If they would let you be together."

Rhea darted her eyes up at Ash, who made a point. "We are animals to them Rhea. We have no place among royalty. You know that."

Rhea scuffed the ground with her boot, "I know…but Kili doesn't just see me as an animal. He saw me as a friend, then as something more. I couldn't pull away, I just couldn't. He's so charming, and fun, and very brave."

Ash scoffed, "Tell me about it. He kissed a wolf."

Rhea gave her a pout and Ash sighed again, putting her hand to the bridge of her nose and pinching it. "Look, I don't know what else to say positively because I'd be really happy for you if it wasn't a dwarf prince."

"I don't care if he's a prince. I like him the way he is, he's kind to us." Rhea tried persuading, as Ash was looking to be thinking about all the ways this could go wrong. Rhea didn't blame her, she's been doing just that for weeks.

"His brother and uncle seem indifferent about it." Ash said, putting it not so lightly.

"Fili actually already knows."

Ash widened her eyes slightly, "He what?"

"He knows. He didn't seem bothered." Rhea lied, for he was sort of joking about the part where it disgusts him. But she wasn't sure if that was a hidden truth or not.

"Doubt that. He can really be persuasive when he wants to."

"You can be friends with him too. Maybe you'll see how great they are to have close by." Rhea encouraged, hoping if one of her packmates sees the royal brothers as friendly and decent, maybe they won't be so harsh on her feelings for Kili.

"I'm friends with the rest of the company mostly. Fili is kind of a different prey to tackle, to put it bluntly." Ash dropped her hand from her face, looking a little dejected.

Rhea bit her lip and stared at the floor again, "I really wanna try with Kili. I'll be careful I promise. I just wanna see how far it goes."

Ash thought about that for a moment leaving Rhea in nervous silence.

"He says anything or does anything to hurt you, I will personally sack him and throw him multiple times into a boulder like a game of whackies." Ash growled, giving her a glare. "You're lucky I didn't just attack you right here and now myself."

Rhea brightened a little and clapped her hands, "Thanks for understanding Ash!"

"Yeah yeah. Don't go kissing Kili straight away after this. Not everyone is so accepting."

"You got that right."

Both Ash and Rhea whipped their heads around to see a fuming Dakota standing across the room, with the front door still slightly open. Her silver eyes filled with white fire.

"Hugh, no I take it back. You're definitely going to die today." Ash told Rhea who was gaping.

"How COULD YOU?!" Dakota shouted and ran for her. Rhea screamed and bolted out the back door, with Ash hot on their heels.

The dwarves were sitting outside at this point and all they saw was Rhea running off the steps screaming with Dakota right behind her and Ash catching up from behind.

As soon as Rhea ran into open space Dakota shifted into the air and landed with a snarl, fangs completely showing. Clearly she was so furious the change came itself.

She pounced on Rhea who squealed at the pressure as Dakota went in to bite her. But Ash shifted a second after and slammed into the brown wolf, knocking her off their packmate.

Dakota threw her off with her hindlegs and Ash caught herself quick enough to face her, her ears flat against her head as she snarled in return.

"What is going on?!" Thorin demanded, while the whole company including Gandalf got to their feet. Bilbo ran over to Rhea to help her up.

Rhea kept her eyes on the girls as they circled each other. Ash put herself between Rhea and Dakota and let out a long growl.

"Rhea what happened?" Bilbo asked but Rhea ignored him, shaking her head.

"It's my fault I need to calm her down!" She yanked her arm free from Bilbo as she shifted herself right next to him. Shaking her pelt she stood next to Ash and barked a little at Dakota who snapped her jaws in a snarl again.

Dakota charged again and Ash met her halfway, barreling into her and rolling over and over again as they bit and clawed each other. Rhea kept trying to get in the middle of it to pull them apart and was barking and whining the whole time.

"What's gotten into them? Why are they fighting?" Gandalf questioned Bilbo who shrugged, having no clue. They watched as Rhea pulled Dakota off Ash and growled at her, her fur standing up in defense.

"We can't speak wolf we have no idea what's causing them to fight!" Gloin mentioned.

Fili and Kili tried running in closer but Thorin stopped them. "You don't want to get in the middle of that."

"They're hurting themselves." Kili pointed out obviously. He couldn't just stand by and watch this.

Gandalf approached Kili suddenly and looked down on him. "You have a connection with one of them do you not?"

Kili looked taken aback a little and had no idea what words to say. "I-I uh…"

"What does he mean by that?" Thorin gave his nephew a warning glare, his eyes angered at this sudden mystery to him.

"Do you are do you not! We don't have all day!" Gandalf snapped.

"Yes! Yes I do have a connection with one of them." Kili swallowed as the stares of all the dwarves were now on him.

Gandalf spoke some words into his staff immediately, coaxing it with his hand as it began to glow a slight blue. When a few seconds past, Gandalf started feeling it working. He held the stone in front of Kili who looked nervously at it then at the grey wizard.

"Hold onto my staff." He instructed.

Kili grabbed it and suddenly felt something flow into his mind. It was something strong and powerful, like inside the mind of master hunter.

When he blinked a few times, the connection was successfully made and Gandalf started hearing the voices. It flowed from Kili who- with the help of some magic- now heard what Rhea was hearing through the mind link.

He focused his eyes on the three wolves fighting right in front of him, and they both figured out which was talking just by their body language.

The voices became more clear with each second until they all merged together into one furious shout,

'_You betrayed us!'_

Kili jumped a little at the ferocity and watched as Dakota shook herself and snarled viciously, her tail twitching at the side. Silver eyes burning through the daylight from the sun and practically glowing in the brightness.

'_I never did such a thing! I wouldn't ever! Stop making this bigger than it actually is!'_ Rhea growled back, shoulders stiff. Dakota went for her and tackled her to the ground, biting her scruff as Ash went for her leg to drag her off. Shaking her back and forth.

"Can you hear them?" Fili asked, eyes wide.

Kili nodded, amazed at this but also worried for Rhea. "Yes, yes I can hear them talking!"

Fili looked at the girls and then back at Kili before quickly grabbing hold of Gandalf's staff too. The rush of voices entered his head as well before settling again on just one at a time. The feeling of hearing them talk to each other in such bestial forms was truly a moment to remember. He tried focusing on the issue at hand though.

Ash was bitten in the ear by Dakota who rounded on her, _'Stop defending her!'_

'_You need to calm down! This is why she wouldn't tell you!'_ Ash twisted her head and climbed on top of Dakota, pushing her down.

'_She has no right! We have no right! This isn't our family!' _Dakota pounded Ash's belly with her back paws making her yelp and get shoved off.

Fili and Kili were quickly beginning to understand what had actually transpired between them. And they glanced at each other before Thorin came up and grabbed a section of Gandalf's staff as well. He was shocked at the surge of magic before being able to listen in.

Rhea jumped Dakota and bit into her shoulder to get her to stop, _'Dakota! I'm not leaving you two! Stop this now!'_

Dakota used her paw to grapple Rhea's neck and throw her into the ground, _'You kissed Kili! You marked him! You can't undo that you idiot!'_

Thorin turned to Kili who averted his gaze to his uncle. He himself didn't know what that meant but now Thorin knows everything between them. Part of him was glad it was out there but just like now, there was aftermath to deal with.

Ash rammed into Dakota and they both got onto their hindlegs to bite and tear into each other, releasing all their pent-up anger about this whole situation.

'_Guys stop! We can't fight over this!'_ Rhea got herself to her paws and went after them, shoving herself in the middle.

'_We will never be accepted!'_

Dakota found a good grip on Rhea with her bite and tossed her with all her strength across the clearing. With Rhea ending up slamming into a tree with her back. There was a loud thud and then sudden silence.

Not even realizing what she did, Dakota kept fighting Ash and the dark pelted wolf got so angry she rapidly snapped her jaws and dug her fangs deep into Dakota's neck, using her fury to throw Dakota to the ground with a massive show of strength. It was so furious it winded Dakota and she laid there for a moment.

Ash snarled so aggressively down at her, her ears flat against her head, she almost bit Fili who had come up right in front of her. He put his hands up as he jumped back at her expression.

Ash, realizing who it was, slowly lowered her lips and raised her ears. Dakota gained her balance again and shoved Ash off, getting to her feet.

When they faced each other Dakota was about to roar when Thorin's voice bellowed from right behind Fili. "Dakota, don't!"

She turned her head to him, her silver eyes still showing white flame. While Thorin just kept his eyes on her, wary but still forceful in his nature. It was time to stop, for they had gone too far.

Dakota dropped her aggressive expression as Ash trotted over to Rhea quickly. Kili already ran to her the moment she dropped and was gently petting her cheek.

Dakota stayed where she was while some of the company went to check on Rhea and the rest glared at Dakota in disappointment in what she did.

"You went to far." Thorin stated, the only one left in front of her. She met his eyes, the fire in hers dying to be replaced with slight guilt.

"Rhea…?" Kili whispered, while Bilbo came up to her head as well and started patting the top of it softly, trying to wake her up.

"Come on Rhea, open your eyes. It's time to open them sweetheart." Bilbo said quietly, looking to try and not get emotional.

Ash slowly walked up to Rhea, some of the dwarves moving out of the way. Ori stood his ground though, "Get away! You hurt her!"

Ash growled, her green eyes hard, but Fili stepped in between them. "No Ori, she was trying to protect Rhea from Dakota."

'_How would he even know that?'_ Ash wondered out loud. Shaking her fur a little as she went to Rhea, going up and nudging her stomach. _'Come on, it was just a little hit. I'm sure I will feel worse about our fight if you actually got brain damage…'_

Fili stood close to Ash, getting a good look at her ruffled dark grey pelt, the muscles bulging from under it, flexing each time she stepped. He watched as her big green eyes showed much worry as she waited for her packmate to wake up.

"Get out of here! She's hurt like this because of you!" Dori and Nori shooed Dakota away who tried to come over and be with Rhea. Ash didn't even stop them, she just hardened her gaze at Dakota, green eyes unfaltering.

_'You went too far.'_ Ash spat, growling deeper.

Dakota took a paw step back, looking at all the dwarves giving her the same disgusted look.

"There's always one that can't change their wild and beastly ways." Dwalin commented. Giving the final sting on Dakota, who lowered her tail slightly and backed away.

'_I didn't mean to…'_ Dakota started.

'_Just get out of my face.'_ Ash turned around and went back to Rhea, flicking her tail.

Just as she leaned down again, she heard the quick and quiet thumps of Dakota's paws going far away. As she ran past Gandalf and Thorin he watched her go farther and farther.

"Dakota!" Thorin called.

But the golden brown wolf disappeared into the forest.

* * *

**It's 3am hahah.**

**Leave a review if you can, I also turned on anonymous reviews so if you wanna do that instead, it's totally cool.**

**I'm sleepy, I'm thinking about goldfish actually being able to fly.**

**See you soon,**

**-Pyrite**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

"We can't just leave her."

Ash sighed as Bilbo once again brought it up, she knew she was still upset at her packmate but they really had no time to dally as the days were getting shorter for the dwarves to find and enter their home.

She tightened a strap or two on the pony while he looked down at her waiting for her response.

"Bilbo, Dakota can very easily track us down." She replied, hoping he would take that, but no its Bilbo, so of course he didn't.

"What if it rains?"

"Then it rains." Ash gripped the blanket on the pony a little too tightly.

"She can't track us in the rain."

"Yes she can. I doubt she even went that far."

"What if she did?"

"Bilbo!" Ash quipped loudly, releasing her temper at his impossible questions.

Bilbo didn't even flinch, he was used to her outbursts. He was also more worried about the fact that Ash wasn't worried.

After Dakota had bolted, a few moments had gone by before Rhea woke up with a fuzzy head. Ash had comforted her until she got her bearings and everybody was relieved she was quite okay, just a bit stunned. Kili had loved all over her face, putting his hands around her cheeks and was pleased she wasn't hurt and that she was letting him pet her. Her large hazel eyes blinked softly at him as he rubbed her ears and forehead, smiling at her and the fact that he was actually able to pet this massive and ferociously dangerous wolf right in front of him.

They didn't have long though as Beorn warned that the orcs were catching up to them, so they all immediately went for the ponies without another thought. Bilbo however, wouldn't drop the subject about Dakota, for Ash was very much still pissed at the brown she-wolf for her explosion on Rhea.

"Ash I'm just worried." Bilbo told her after a moment of silence.

Ash rolled her eyes, "Yes I noticed. But I'm not really in the mood to talk about her right now, she can find her way to us. She's the one who decided to run away anyways."

Bilbo sighed and watched her walk away and over to Rhea who was chatting with Kili. Thorin called over to Gandalf that time was wasting and the grey wizard nodded. He was speaking to Beorn about something and Ash tried catching some of the words far over where she stood.

They were speaking of a evil across these lands, and that the orcs were gathering together in Dol Guldur. Some kind of alliance? With who though? And why was Gandalf so worried about it?

"Ready?" Rhea's voice shook her out of her thoughts and she looked over at her, before nodding.

"You going to be able to keep up?" Kili asked, raising a brow.

Rhea twisted her head to give him a look, "Are you suggesting that I'm _slow?"_

Kili smirked but then dropped it and shook his head. "Course not."

"Oooh boy, you're gonna eat dirt today." Rhea challenged, before shifting into her wolf. Her hazel eyes met Kili's and she lifted her tail high in the air. Most of the dwarves were looking pretty serious but Kili and Rhea seemed to be the only ones trying to make the most of running from orcs. Again.

'_C'mon Ash, let's go!'_ Rhea barked and trotted in a circle, her mouth open.

Ash took a deep breath and tried to keep her cool, before shifting into her wolf and feeling the surge of power as soon as her muscles transformed, getting herself loose a little by shaking it off.

Gandalf came over and hopped onto his horse, leading the way as the company followed with the two giant wolves galloping beside them. Kili laughed as Rhea played with him a little, keeping her distance from the pony as to not scare it. Even though the ponies have seen Beorn in bear form, they probably didn't really know wolves this size.

She trotted gracefully with her tail in the air and pranced around like a goof, while Kili laughed even more at her being silly.

Then before they knew it Gandalf took off in full gallop, with Thorin leading the way next and picking up speed. Ash and Rhea stayed right beside the group as they travelled quickly over the hills and through the mountain range. They stayed at the fast speed as much as they could, only resting the ponies at a walking pace only once.

The girls were able to keep up well, their capacity of stamina helped them keep the run going for miles.

Rhea stayed close to Kili, while Ash sort of had a slight lead in front next to Dwalin and Balin.

When they finally arrived in front of a vast forest full of thick trees and large roots, they all slowed to a stop. Gandalf got off first and went to take a look at the entrance of the elven path while the rest of the company got off their ponies and gathered their things.

"Here lies our path to Mirkwood!" Gandalf confirmed with the group.

Dwalin looked around, "No orcs in sight. We have luck on our side."

Gandalf didn't look too convinced and Ash wasn't feeling very happy either, but then again this entire time she's been in a bad mood.

Rhea and her shifted back into their human forms and went to help the dwarves carry some things off the ponies backs.

Rhea helped Bilbo while Ash carefully lowered Balin to the ground. He was a proud old dwarf but still silently nodded thanks for her help. Since she knew it would've been a little difficult for him to get down.

When she pulled some things off the pony and handed them to Balin to put on a more personal mobile pack, she felt someone approach her from her left. From the familiar scent of metal and slight wood she guessed it was Fili.

"You didn't come help me get down." He said, giving her smolder of a look.

Ash looked over at him, thinking he was serious. "You needed help?"

Fili shook his head with a slight smirk now, "No."

Ash rolled her eyes at his teasing and lifted off some ropes from the pony. Fili took them out of her hands for her.

"Are you doing alright?" He asks.

Ash glanced at him, "What do you mean?"

"You seemed kind of standing off a lot recently. Are you worried about Dakota?"

Ash resisted the urge to sigh, "Why do people actually wonder if I'm worried? Literally Balin asked me that on the way here too. Good thing I couldn't reply."

Fili chuckled, surprising her. "Maybe it's because she's like family to you? And she just ran away and we have no idea if she'll find us again."

"She will find us again." Ash stated matter-of-factly.

"You know this?" Fili raised a brow, watching her as she faced him.

"Mhm."

"How?"

"Because I know Dakota. Look I may be pissed at her right now but she isn't stupid. She's capable of tracking a mouse that's hiding in Erebor from here."

Fili looked slightly impressed, and nodded in somewhat understanding. "Alright, if you're sure."

"Trust me, she's following our trail right now probably." Ash motioned behind him with her arm.

Fili nodded again. Ash shrugged, "I know right now she's keeping her distance. Far enough so we can't mind link but close so if danger comes she'll be within helping range."

"You know each other well." Fili noticed.

"Of course we do. We had nobody but each other and Bilbo growing up." Ash looked down at the ground, sounding adamant about the subject.

Fili took a step closer to her, seeing if she'll react. Luckily she didn't move and he took that as a good sign.

Ash definitely saw it though.

"I can understand that, me and Kili grew up really close too. Barely leave each other's side." Fili smiled a little fondly at that.

Ash gave him a smile too, "You're a good brother to him." She put a hand on his bicep in comfort, "I'm sure he's glad you have his back."

Fili looked into her eyes, the green in them so much brighter than the dull trees facing them ahead, he almost got lost thinking about walking through a pine forest.

Ash dropped her hand as she realized he probably thought that was weird and cleared her throat. Fili was about to walk past her before he stopped,

"You got my back too right?" He smirked.

Ash pretended to think about it, "Meh." She shrugged, then walked casually past him this time.

Fili shook his head as his smile grew, trying to play it cool. When he looked back up, Ash was smirking at him as she looked behind.

Rhea was just helping Bombour when Bilbo went up to where Gandalf was standing. "This forest feels sick. As if a disease lies upon it."

Rhea smelled the air, and its scent was so dull and dry, she almost choked.

"We can't go around?" She asked hopefully.

"Not unless we go 200 miles North, or twice that distance South." Gandalf replied, focused on something else.

Rhea groaned and Kili went up to her and knocked her shoulder with his teasingly. Rhea elbowed his stomach and smiled a little at his fake hurt.

Most of the dwarves don't seem to be minding their more open affection and Rhea was glad for it. She was still concerned about Dakota but she feels like she might be more reasonable now that she got her anger out. Hopefully.

Thorin was also still unspoken about it.

"Don't worry. We'll be in and out in no time. Just a venture into the woods." Kili encouraged positively.

"Dark depressing woods." Rhea deadpanned. Kili laughed.

She saw Ash walk up to where Gandalf was with a curious look on her face, and Rhea cocked her head to the side. She decided to jog up to her friend to see what she was doing.

When she reached her she felt the pulsing too.

It was like a heartbeat…but where was it coming from?

She looked around, "What is that…"

Ash shook her head a little. "Feels weird doesn't it?"

"Yeah, like something's alive."

When they came up behind Gandalf without him noticing, he seemed deep in thought over something. He pulled away some vines and they all saw the weird paint marked on the stone.

Ash and Rhea tried focusing on what that could be but nothing came to mind, however Gandalf apparently figured it out.

"So be it." He stated to no one in particular. The girls exchanged a look.

He swished around and rushed up to where the dwarves were about to let loose his horse and he stopped them. "Not my horse! I need it!"

Bilbo's expression dropped, "You're not leaving us."

"What?" Ash yelled. They barely know their way through this forest even with the path. What if they got lost? They need him!

"I would not do this unless I had to." Gandalf told them, looking determined.

"Great what are we gonna do if something creepy gets us in these woods?" Ash whined.

"Scared of giant insects at all?" Kili asked, and Rhea widened her eyes.

"You what now?"

"Just kidding, could just be tales." He smiled at his teasing while Rhea looked unamused.

"Wouldn't you just eat them?" Ori wondered, while Ash made a gagging noise.

"I can't even think about it." Ash began to look like she was suppressing puking while Rhea covered her mouth and shook her head to clear the thought away.

Thorin watched as Gandalf mounted his horse after having a word with Bilbo. The wizard passed him and told them where to meet him, "Do not enter that mountain without me." He finished. Thorin nodded, looking over at Balin next to him.

"This is not the greenwood of old. There is a stream in the middle, it is enchanted. Do not touch the water. The air itself is also thick with illusion, you must stay on the path." Gandalf warned them, mounting his horse. Ash looked up and into the deep woods, almost shivering at it even though it wasn't cold out. It did start to rain though.

Before long they were all getting soaked from the droplets in the sky, and Gandalf soon took off riding, reminding them to stay on the path.

Thorin turned away from him and started heading into the forest, "C'mon. We must reach the mountain before the sun sets on Durin's day."

The dwarves all lined up to follow him while Rhea and Ash waited for Bilbo to come too. They wanted to bring up the rear.

"This is our one chance to find the hidden door." Thorin finished, entering the pathway of the elven road.

"If we end up getting lost in here, I'm going to climb the trees to escape." Rhea said, just in case. Ash had to silently agree with her, if anything could be free from the forest, it very well could be the air up top. Rhea was pretty smart to think of that.

"If we get lost in here, I actually pray Dakota finds us." Ash admitted, even though she was still angry at her friend, it diminished with the passing time. Rhea certainly wasn't mad at her, more like afraid of losing her packmate.

Rhea glanced at her and gave a look of sympathy, "Me too."

* * *

"The path turns this way." Thorin told them, kicking leaves out of the way. Once again they all followed his lead. So far it wasn't too bad, Ash didn't feel the affects of any illusions yet and the others seem to be doing alright. Just the overall gloom and doom of this forest was just uncomfortable.

They went further in and when Thorin stopped to look around, Dwalin tapped the ground and found it again. They went under an overhang of some kind of root and kept going. Ash wondered if it was even the same path, for it felt like it was going in odd directions and over logs. Quite unusual for some elvish path. But then again Beorn said these elves were not like their kin so maybe that was why.

"I need air." Bofur breathed, and Ash turned around to see him blinking a few times.

"My head is spinning." Oin complained too and Rhea also looked behind her to see his face contorted with confusion. She waited for him to catch up and walked next to him.

"You okay Oin?" She asked, her face concerned.

"I can't think straight." Was all he said, shaking his head over and over.

The effects of the illusions must be working already. Rhea gulped, seeing how fast it works on them. She wondered if she was getting symptoms as well. So far she felt fine though.

"Don't worry, we're on the right path. We'll be out of here in no time. Right Kili?" She looked over at him and all he did was nod slowly, looking like he was spacing out. Rhea bit her lip and figured he must not be feeling well either.

When she glanced at Ash, she was talking softly to Bifur who kept flinching uncontrollably. His head was already messed up from the axe, she felt bad for him as this must be driving him insane. Ash was trying to do her best though.

"We found the bridge." Bilbo stated up ahead and some of the dwarves looked as if they got shaken awake. They all perked up and walked faster to the edge of the bridge. Which was unfortunately broken in the middle, meaning no passage from here. Ash felt her shoulders drop.

"We can try and swim it." Bofur suggested. Ash tilted her head questioningly to the side at that. Did he forget what Gandalf said?

"Didn't you hear what Gandalf said?" Thorin reminded them. "A dark magic lies upon this forest. The waters of this stream are enchanted."

Bofur peered over at the water, "Doesn't look very enchanting to me." He mumbled.

Bilbo gave him a look and slightly pushed him back from the edge so he wouldn't dazingly fall over into it.

When Bilbo started to unknowingly tilt himself by looking down, Rhea came up to him and pressed a hand to his shoulder, pushing him back. Snapping him out of it, Bilbo looked at her with wide eyes. Rhea's bright hazel colors reflected beautifully and Bilbo felt himself sobering for just a moment of looking into them.

"Bilbo?" She checked.

Bilbo blinked. "I'm alright." He patted her hand and she nodded once, unconvinced.

"These vines look strong enough." Kili notified, grabbing hold of one and getting ready to climb.

"Kili!" Thorin stopped him. Kili halted and turned to look at him. "We send the lightest first."

Bilbo realized immediately what that meant and turned around to look at everyone looking at him. Even Rhea guiltily knew she wasn't as light as he was. His face dropped to an unfortunate expression and he slumped over before going to the vines and starting to climb.

Rhea and Ash were instantly up to the edge behind him, so if anything went wrong, they would be the first to grab him. They stiffly stood next to Fili and Kili while watching him crawl and climb perilously over the water's surface.

"It's alright. Everything's good." Bilbo informed them as he went. Ash and Fili edged a little closer. "Can't see any problems-"

Just then he slipped and his body swung to the side, his legs only able to grasp the larger vine beneath him to catch himself. "Oh, there's one." He said nonchalantly. In a flash though Ash jolted forward and started on the vines towards him.

Fili grabbed her bow on her back and pulled her backwards to safety. She glared at him and shoved his hand off, "Fili stop!"

"You're going to touch the water if he falls in!"

"What's it to you?" She quipped, looking back to Bilbo who was pathetically hanging from his legs. She didn't see Fili's concerned face for a brief moment when she turned around, but Rhea sure did. She gets butterflies in her stomach whenever Kili is around or touching her, and they are much more prominent. But seeing this gave Rhea more thought on poor Fili who actually might care for Ash, and it made her want to scream to her packmate in excitement; but right now wasn't really the best of times.

"Wait wait, I got it. It's fine." Bilbo managed to swing himself up and climb upside down for a bit to get to another large vine.

After many close calls, struggles, brief falls, and heart palpitations from the girls, Bilbo landed safely to the other side.

Eager to reach him, the girls rushed forward to start climbing. Quickly finding ease in the gist of swinging from the vines. The rest of the company was close behind and following Bilbo's lead.

"Something's not right. Stay where you are!" Bilbo ordered but when he turned around literally every single member was on the vines. The girls made it to him first, barely breathless and stood next to him to watch the others attempt to make it.

Soon after, Thorin jumped to their side. They all froze as something rustled in the leaves nearby.

Ash and Rhea pinpointed where the sound came from in seconds and looked over to the other side. Bilbo and Thorin followed their gaze as a white stag appeared. It paused, looking over at them with a curious stare.

Thorin pulled back an arrow from his quiver and notched it. "What are you doing?" Bilbo asked, looking out of it and not really sure what he was talking about.

Thorin eyed it for a moment, blue eyes piercing before raising his bow and letting the arrow fly.

Within a blink of an eye, Ash's hand whipped forward and caught the slender missile midstream. The whistling sound it made abruptly stopped as Ash turned her head to Thorin with annoyance gleaming through her crystal green irises.

Thorin's eyes were shocked at her ability to catch something so quickly and just watched her snap the arrow at its base and drop it to the ground.

"That would've been bad luck." She growled.

Thorin dismissed it, "I don't believe in luck. We make our own luck."

"Well now we don't have to worry about it either way do we?" She retorted. A splash interrupted them both as Bombour's huge body collapsed into the water.

"Bombour!" Bofur called out, he leaned down to try and reach him but Rhea shouted at him to not move.

"If you touch the water, you might fall asleep too!" She warned, and Bofur worriedly looked down at his cousin.

Rhea looked around to see if anything she could use would help drag him out, but nothing but vines were all around.

"Maybe we could use some vines to pull-" She startled when Ash jumped in the water, it going up to her waist deep as she swam over to him.

"Ash are you insane?!" Dori yelled, wide eyed. Rhea watched as her friend made it over to Bombour and grabbed his shoulders and head. She looked up at Rhea,

"I need your help."

Rhea noticed that Ash looked completely unaffected by the water, and decided it was maybe safe for them to cross. Although she was unsure she had the willpower like Ash when it came to magical resistance.

Swallowing her slight fear, Rhea got in one step at a time. "Rhea don't!" She heard Kili above her but she ignored. The water was warm, but she didn't feel any different yet. It was a strange warmth though.

She made it over to Bombour and grabbed his legs while the rest of the dwarves managed to climb over the rest of the vines above them. Thorin stood on the edge next to Bilbo and watched as the girls dragged him through and back onto the land.

Once they made it Bofur and some others helped pull him safely onto the ground. Dripping with water, the girls seemed totally unchanged. Kili and Fili pushed their way through to them.

Kili grabbed Rhea's face instantly, "How are you feeling?"

Thorin gave them a slight glare from the side but said nothing. Rhea put her hands on the inside of Kili's elbows, "I'm fine. I don't feel anything."

Kili then rubbed her cheeks with his thumbs and sighed, "You are incredible."

Rhea smiled as he kissed her forehead, her hazel eyes brightening.

Fili went up to Ash and tried to check up on her but Ash flinched away, "What are you doing?"

"How are you not asleep?" He asked, while Balin came up next to him.

"How on earth?" He gazed at her face too, looking for symptoms.

Ash just shrugged, she had no idea either she just went in on instinct.

"Do you feel sleepy?" Fili asked, coming up closer to her again.

Ash backed up a bit, "No?"

Noticing she wasn't interested in the close proximity and his concerns, Fili laid off and stepped away. Looking a little crestfallen. Rhea made a face of sympathy for the blonde prince. He recovered fast enough though.

The dwarves ended up building a makeshift bed that they could carry Bombour on, and carried on the pathway with six of them holding the fat dwarf and his weight. The girls were asked numerous times if they felt sleepy but time and time again they said they were fine. Ash was getting annoyed by the questions and her short responses were beginning to prove that. Fili never asked since the first time though, Rhea noticed. She guessed it was maybe because the bold young prince actually got his pride a bit wounded for trying to help.

Rhea mostly wondered what on earth had gotten into Ash. She was getting along great with the rest of the dwarves, but for some reason Fili hits nerves. She knew they had a rocky start but going through the mountains before the goblin tunnels it looked as though they were finally getting along.

Shaking her head from musing, Rhea walked next to Kili who was beginning to not go in a straight line with his steps. She had to correct his path a time or two and was getting a bit concerned about the illusions effect on him. After the water, Rhea had guessed her and Ash were somehow unaffected by this magic. How? She had no idea, but it was for certain as neither one of them felt dizzy or sick.

After awhile some of the dwarves requested a rest and set Bombour down, Fili one of them as he shook his head and blinked several times. Many of the dwarves were looking around becoming woozy and talking to themselves. Ash and Rhea tried their best to comfort them but there was not much they could do.

"Do you hear that?" Bilbo slurred, "Those…voices? Can you hear them?"

"Bilbo." Rhea kneeled down in front of him where he sat. "There's no voices. Nobody else is here but us."

Bilbo just stared at her blankly and she sighed.

"I hear nothing." Thorin answered him, eyes looking sleepy. "No wind. No birds." He put his arm to rest on his leg.

"What hour is it?" The king leaned back almost falling off the log he was sitting on. Someone grabbed his forearm and pulled him back up. When his blue eyes looked at her, he widened them.

"Dakota?" He gripped her forearm back and tugged a little. "You came back." He smiled, his white teeth showing genuine happiness and relief.

His arm was tugged back in return and he felt his ears ring momentarily, noticing he couldn't hear words. Blinking a few times he held onto the arm tightly, not wanting to let go.

"Thorin." The voice spoke. "Thorin snap out of it. Hey!"

Thorin's head snapped up again and he realized the eyes of the beholder were a deep green, not silver. The vision cleared up and Ash stood before him, holding his arm. Sort of, more like he was holding hers.

Ash saw his face twist into disappointment and anger, "Why do you touch me?" He spat, and ripped his arm away.

"Jeez, you're the one hallucinating." Ash grumbled, backing away.

"Do not speak to me in such manner." He whispered, not even looking at her. Ash figured that even while not being able to think straight, Thorin still managed to be a kingly arse.

After moments of slurred talk Thorin leaned forward again like he was going to pass out. "This is taking too long. Is there no end to this accursed forest?" His voice echoed throughout the trees and the girls desperately tried to think of ways to get them moving again. The dwarves and Bilbo were clearly not going to get much farther at this pace, they didn't even remember they just took a break five minutes ago.

"None that I can see." Gloin told him, frantically looking around. "Only trees and more trees."

Thorin suddenly looked like he got his bearings as he stared out into the open, "There."

Ash and Rhea followed his gaze but saw nothing. Worried he would lead them astray Ash tried blocking his view. But Thorin pushed her out of the way and almost fell himself, "This way." He ordered.

"Thorin no! That's not the path!" Ash called out to him. She dared not pull him back for fear of him putting a blade to her neck, so she chased after him along with Rhea. The rest of the company blindly followed his lead not even listening to them. "Thorin come back!"

Bilbo mindlessly pulled on some webs like an instrument and Rhea ran back to him to grab his shoulders and shake him. Bilbo bobbled his head around like a doll but didn't really react.

"Bilbo! C'mon wake up, we have to stop Thorin he's leading them the wrong way. We can't find this path again if he leaves." She begged.

"The wrong way?" Bilbo repeated, looking like he got worried for a second.

Rhea nodded, "Yes he's straying too far we gotta get him back. We need your help Bilbo please."

Bilbo shot up from where he sat and realized all the dwarves had gone. "Wait! We must stay on the path! We can't leave the path!" He shouted after them but to no avail as the dwarves kept walking aimlessly in an odd direction while Ash attempted to get any of theirs attention.

Giving up, Bilbo went to follow and Rhea sighed. Looking at the path they were supposed to stay on. She ran a hand through her hair frustrated, "Gods we are never getting out of here with the stubbornness of dwarves."

Mumbling curses she followed Bilbo into the forest and figured if they were going to get lost, they should at least have two conscious members try to guide them from doing stupid things.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Oh they definitely got lost. Within moments they were blundering about everywhere.

Ash heard Balin keep saying none of this place looked familiar and she just about lost all her patience. If they hadn't strayed stupidly from the path in the first place they wouldn't even be here. She angrily swatted away a large vine and stomped up the hill. There were dwarves everywhere going in all kinds of directions. At this pace they'll be stuck here forever.

"Everyone here is as dull as a rock. How was following Thorin into the forest a good idea? How is any of this a good idea? Why can't this journey be an easy get there and get back kind of thing? I was expecting long roads and more sleep and some wild deer and MORE SLEEP." Ash threw her head back and groaned loudly.

Rhea came up behind her and punched her shoulder to make her stop. "Alright we get it. Look they aren't exactly themselves right now, you can't entirely blame them."

"Dwarves are becoming a good mixture of great and then not so great all in one bowl. I'm not even sure what it's even making. Their beards alone send me haywire I just wanna dunk them in water." Ash complained, kicking a rock into the trees with frustration.

Rhea rolled her eyes, "You know, you're rather very suddenly angry about a lot of things with the dwarves."

Ash said nothing and kept walking. Rhea took that que to continue, "I mean, especially with Fili."

"Why are you bringing this up?" Ash tested her, wondering where this was coming from. She ducked under a vine and held it up for her friend to pass.

"Because you were doing just fine and the moment we came in here you started being really short with him." Rhea looked over at her, searching her face for emotions. Ash hid her eyes though.

"I'm not being short…" She defended.

Rhea raised her brows, "Uh, yes you are and you know it."

Ash sighed and kept walking, Rhea close behind. "I don't know then. Maybe it's the forest."

"I don't think that's it."

Ash stopped and looked at her red-headed packmate. Her hair had a bunch of cobwebs in it and her side bangs were loose in her eyes. She looked exhausted in truth. Ash knew she was concerned for her, since she recognized her short temper so well it showed whenever she wasn't able to control her emotions. She contemplated telling Rhea how she was feeling but it was so confusing herself she didn't know the words.

"Look, I just…" Ash began but sort of swallowed her next words. Rhea patiently waited for her to keep going, hazel eyes a little worried.

"I just got to thinking. Maybe Fili is starting to, see me in a different way." Ash said a little more quietly. Rhea thought on that for a moment before replying,

"In a good way? Or better?"

"Like, more than what I thought." Ash bit her lip, keeping her eyes away.

Rhea finally understood what her friend was so frustrated about. Ash was always the one to try and be supportive of herself and Dakota, but never truly experienced what it was like to have someone else want to take care of her too. Fili's new way of acting was shocking her friend so much she had no idea how to handle the string of new emotions. Rhea could relate to that, for she had no idea how to handle them herself. But she had to convince Ash that it was okay to feel something more for the young prince, it was normal, and she shouldn't be afraid.

"Ash, it's okay, what you're feeling." Rhea told her. Ash turned to glance at her. "I felt this way to for Kili. I handled it differently of course, but once I realized it was just Kili trying to get my attention, it becomes a really warm feeling and I wanted to be around him all the time."

Ash bit her cheek more in thought, "I don't think he'll like me that much. I feel like he's just curious but if the question ever comes up to become more serious he might duck out. Not that I'm thinking of doing anything about it."

Rhea gave her a sympathetic look, "You can't let what you are change how you approach this."

"But it is." Ash lowered her voice again when she saw Dwalin pass by over a log above them, looking distracted. "I can't let him get closer to me, I don't want him regretting it after we reclaim their homeland."

Rhea got a little nervous, she was feeling the same about this particular thing as well. "I know…but they'll have to make that decision when the time comes. I'm just living for the moment that Kili likes me for who I am now. I think he'll ask me to stay, I truly do."

Rhea seemed so sure and was glowing almost at the prospect of someone wanting to be with her, Ash felt horrible for what doubts she had been saying out loud.

"I'm sure he will. And I'll support you no matter what, even though I still am really skeptical about the whole thing with you two." She gave a small smile in comfort and Rhea returned it gratefully. Ash though was really starting to miss Dakota right now, she could use some real talk from her other best friend. Rhea was always good at helping her feel better, but she missed the straight talk her blonde friend would give her. Ash and Dakota almost had similar mind sets and she wondered what her missing friend would say about this. Despite her reaction to Rhea, she believed she'd come around after Ash smacked her a few times for hurting Rhea in the first place.

"Maybe try and be nicer to Fili. You don't have to be more, but good friends can't ever be a bad thing right?" Rhea posed, tilting her head to the side a little.

"Yeah I suppose so." Ash shrugged and kept moving, still feeling a little odd about it but a bit better. "Although nothing like you and Kili, let's keep the cheesy love stuff to you guys." She teased and Rhea laughed.

"Yeah sometimes when I'm near him I just wanna kiss him forever."

Ash made a gagging noise and shoved her into a bush. Rhea giggled and jumped back, opening her arms wide, "Oh how I _love_ his smell and his cute little beard, and that cheeky smile!"

"Ew! Get that away from me!" Ash kept dodging around Rhea who would get in her face and try to kiss her. She was making smooching noises and hugging her tight so she couldn't go anywhere.

"Come get some love you're not getting enough!"

"Release me you lovestruck beast!"

"No! I wanna tell you about how good of a kisser he is!" Rhea laughed at Ash trying desperately to squirm away.

"I don't wanna know, that's disgusting!" Ash placed her hand on Rhea's face and pushed her away. Rhea giggled more and came back but Ash took off running.

"Come here and get kisses!" Rhea teased.

"Gross go give that to Kili you nasty animal."

"An animal with a hot dwarf."

Ash turned to look at Rhea who became red with fluster. Ash burst out laughing and bent over. Rhea tried not to smile but it was really hard as what she just said was really cute but embarrassing. Ash was practically dying, she was wiping tears from her eyes.

Even with the seriousness of everything around them, they still managed to find time to laugh and play around. The dwarves were mindlessly wandering around still and Bilbo was sitting on a rock just spacing out.

"Oh man, that was a good one." Ash breathed, gathering herself.

"Don't tell Kili." Rhea played with her wrists nervously and looked away.

"I'm totally telling him."

"Ash!"

"Kidding kidding!" Ash smiled and put her hands up. "You just really got your head in the clouds with this so called 'hot dwarf.'"

With Ash snickering at her inside joke, Rhea widened her eyes and dropped her smile.

"Wait…what?" She asked.

Ash looked over at her and furrowed her brows, still smirking. "What?"

"Head in the clouds…" Rhea repeated, pondering something. Ash dropped the humor and watched her friend look serious.

"What're you-"

"The clouds!" Rhea had an epiphany apparently.

"You're not clarifying anything."

"Ash remember what I said about climbing trees?" Rhea reminded her, coming up closer.

"Yeah?" Ash's face showed she wasn't connecting the dots.

"We need to climb to get to the sky, a birds eye view you dummy." Rhea smacked her arm and looked around for Bilbo. Ash's expression slowly changed with understanding.

Rhea went over to where Bilbo was and it turns out he was right in the middle of all the dwarves arguing and shoving each other aggressively. Realizing they hadn't been paying attention to what was going on, Ash and Rhea skidded down to where they all stood and tried breaking it up.

"Woah! Hey! Stop it, all of you!" Ash shouted above them all. She yanked back a few of them to separate while Rhea held Dori back from getting in Kili's face. Ash noticed Ori try and defend him and get to Fili so she stepped in between them and placed a hand on Ori's shoulder to subtly push him away. Nori was helping stand in the middle as well to keep everyone from fighting.

"I don't need your protection!" Fili angrily slapped Ash's hand down in front of him and she whipped her head back at his tone. Her green eyes almost glowing at her temper losing control.

_Relax, it's just the forest…doing this to him._

Ash took in a breath and tried to calm herself before keeping the dwarves separated again. Fili glared at her then pressed a hand to his head like it almost hurt.

"Enough! Quiet! All of you!" Thorin ordered, turning around to face them. He looked like he didn't even have the energy to stop them before. "We're being watched."

"Bilbo, come with me, quick." Rhea huddled the hobbit over while he tried asking what was going on. Shushing him, she brought him over without the dwarves noticing.

"Rhea what is it?" He whispered.

"We need to climb the trees, we have to get a good vantage point." She told him, gesturing to the thick branches above. Bilbo nodded quickly, and began climbing right away. Clearly a similar thought had come to his mind as well.

When Rhea looked back she saw Ash meet her eyes and nod once. She'll cover for them while they go and take a look without the dwarves arguing all over again on what to do.

So Rhea followed Bilbo up the tree as he already was about halfway there. She hurried to catch up and swiftly pulled herself up on each branch. Crawling towards the top using the thick trunk as leverage, Rhea saw Bilbo's head disappear above the canopy of leaves. Only a peephole of sunlight was visible from below through certain leaves and Rhea found herself more desperate to find open air.

When she reached the top right next to Bilbo, she suddenly inhaled deeply without the intoxicating thickness of the air below. It felt like she could finally breathe into the bottom of her lungs instead of losing air after every word.

"Wow! This feels great!" She blurted, taking another deep breath and smelling the freshness around.

Bilbo smiled as numerous amounts of blue butterflies came up from where they were perched and fluttered into the sky all at once. A few of their wings brushed against Rhea's cheek ad she giggled, touching the sensitive skin with her fingertips. The bright sun rested against the mountains ahead, shining it's beauty across the lake. It was so bright Rhea had to partly cover her eyes.

"I saw a lake." Rhea told him and he agreed that he sees it too.

"I also see a river, and the Lonely Mountain!" Bilbo exclaimed, Rhea widening her eyes and dropping her hand at that. Bilbo shoved aside some leaves for her to see. "We're almost there, look!"

Rhea gasped at the beauty of the mountain even from this distance, just standing alone by itself against the majestic sky. It almost looked untouchable but they were definitely heading to go inside of it. Rhea wiggled in excitement and gazed upon the mountain in awe. She couldn't believe that's where they were going, a whole kingdom! She wondered what kind of halls it would have, or what the throne would look like.

"We know which way to go! Can you hear me?" Bilbo shouted down from where they were at while Rhea turned her head a little to focus on tuning other noises out and listening in. There was nothing at first after a few branches snapped, but slow and deep breathing was loud, like a snore. It almost startled her and she opened her eyes.

"Something is wrong, they aren't moving." Rhea told Bilbo who looked very pale, eyes watching something from the distance. Rhea followed his gaze and noticed the trees swishing unnaturally to the side.

"Get down." Bilbo told her and they both ducked under the branches. Rhea stepped down onto the next branch below and tuned her hearing again to the movement coming closer. She was so focused on tracking the possible danger she didn't have time to react to Bilbo losing his footing on some web around the tree and falling down below her.

"Bilbo!" She called, watching him drop and catch onto a massive and sticky web instantly. She hopped down a few branches as quick as she could to reach him. "Hang on!"

"Rhea!" Bilbo cried, writhing around as his eyes caught onto something. Rhea slid down the trunk and almost made it to him when something stabbed into her thigh, paralyzing her instantly. She grabbed her leg and gasped, falling to one knee. When she looked over she saw the giant spider crawl down from its web and start wrapping her over and over again, leaving nothing but darkness within seconds.

* * *

After being held still against their will with webbing, the spiders were close to eating them before getting distracted by something nearby. Ash tried loosening the webbing keeping her arms and legs plastered together. It was slowly breaking apart with each twist but it was taking longer than she anticipated. Worried the spiders might come back soon, she hustled harder to free herself.

When something small came up to her viewpoint, Ash froze and waited for it to come closer. She held her breath hoping it wasn't yet another smaller spider coming to get a first taste.

Luckily though, it was Bilbo as he cut her down from the branch and helped her pull the webbing off her face and arms. Ash gasped and removed pieces of it from her mouth and face, wiping it away with disgust.

"Thanks Bilbo." She said as she got to her feet quickly. She went to go help Rhea free and the rest of the dwarves gathered themselves and ripped open their web sacs. They all started to get away as fast as they could while all the spiders came back from all directions. The dwarves were then forced to defend themselves as the spiders threw onto them fangs and long legs alike.

One spider was ripped apart by the dwarves each pulling on one of its legs to save Bombour. While Thorin and Dwalin sliced their swords and axes around to chop them away one by one. When one came for Ash she pulled out her bow and notched it quickly, firing into its face and forcing it to miss its target.

When it fell to the ground Bofur finished it off and yelled at her to keep running. Ash whipped around and followed the dwarves away from the nest of the giants insects. She saw Fili slash this way and that expertly, his twin blades finding their marks each time.

Thorin tossed Nori onto the back of one as Nori stopped its attack on Ori who was trying to get away. Thorin stuck his sword in its side while Nori finished it off. Dwalin was beating up another with his fists and Ash ducked under another spider and slashed under its belly, spilling all its repulsive guts out.

Fili rode the head of one and stuck his blades in its central eyes, riding it around as it thrashed back and forth. Kili came and chopped its legs off, then twisted around and stuck his sword inside the mouth of a second spider coming from a different angle. Pulling it out he was grabbed by several legs and pulled backwards by a spider, Fili went over to help his brother and sliced its abdomen, making it screech in pain.

Rhea also came out of nowhere and twisted her body mid-air, releasing a powerful kick into its face. It was with enough force, the entire front neck of its body cracked open and plopped into the ground.

Kili freed himself again and fought off more spiders behind Rhea as they kept pushing through the mass. She would slice and flip around one spider and he'd finish off the other, almost in sync. They were fighting so well together they cleared a good four or five of them in one go.

When all seemed good, Thorin led the way away. He stopped almost a few steps in and looked up, seeing a few more spiders emerging from the treetops. Ash notched her bow and attempted to shoot some of them down before they got any closer. She missed some shots but one or two of them she managed to impale with an arrow and cause them to strike the ground in a splutter.

Ash inherently shivered, "God those are so disgusting when they die."

Some of the spiders were dying by more numbers now, as a tall blonde man came down and took out three in a row. Ash growled as he slid forward and expertly aimed an arrow right in Thorin's face. Everyone went still as the blue-eyed man pulled back the string. Ash reflected his aggressive movement and had hers aimed for his head as well.

The man glared at her before more men out of nowhere came and aimed their arrows at all their faces. Rhea stepped back from the outside and looked around at how many there were, while Ash's eyes began to glow.

Fili, sensing the moment was getting too heated for the hidden grey wolf behind him, decided to step forward and gently put her bow down. Looking around cautiously as the elves tensed more when she refused to let go. Fili turned to look at her and Ash was growling deeply, looking around challengingly while her green eyes were now very clearly increasing in brightness, the color in them pulsing as she took fast breaths.

"Ash, calm down." Fili whispered harshly. Ash looked down at him, for he seemed almost worried about what would happen if she shifted in anger right now in front of the strange men. "Keep looking at me Ash."

Fili noticed the elves were beginning to stare a little too close at her eyes. Ash did as he said much to his surprise and just kept her entrancing emerald gaze upon him. Ash felt like she was calming down a bit better now, but who were these men? She knew that she knew the answer but couldn't remember at the moment what the name was.

Shouting for help was heard in the midst and Fili whipped his head around, "Kili?!"

Rhea on instinct bolted forward, and rolled in between a few elves, missing their arrows by mere inches. She ran with unnatural speed and the elves had no time to react for she was already at where Kili was still being dragged by a giant spider. When she got there, another woman was killing the spiders around with a short dagger and her arrows.

She was getting all the ones from the left side but Kili began to panic as another from the right was quickly making its way over. Rhea just then burst through the foliage and kicked the spider down on its side. The massive thing was almost twice the size of her and yet she managed to knock it over like a pebble. Kili watched with surprised eyes as Rhea missed stabbing it several times before it whirled on her and was about to sink its fangs right into her.

However right as it raised its mouth, Rhea frustratingly threw down her sword and grabbed one of its fangs with one hand, stopping it from coming down. The spider tried using its legs to push her away but Rhea just glared underneath it, hazel eyes glowing now right before she yanked the fang straight out of it.

With a sound of a snap, the spider reeled back in shock as Rhea then used its own fang and dug it deep into its brain, giving it a final harsh twist before it dropped dead.

Panting, the woman tilted her head down at her, while Rhea narrowed her eyes back in return. Kili simply stared back and forth and the two woman with a stunned expression.

She led them back with the group as the blonde man ordered them to be searched. Ash felt invaded as more than one came up to her and grabbed her bow and swords. She noticed they had oddly shaped ears and the name of them suddenly came upon her. These must be the wood elves Beorn mentioned!

Despite her memory coming back about what they were, she angrily slapped away their hands from searching her leather armor all over. Even in the boots. They ended up having to pin her arms back a little so they could safely get all the hidden weapons she carried. Fili on the other hand was selfishly not showing where all his hidden daggers were and the elf in front of him had to keep looking to find them all.

Fili smugly showed his armor in a way to express he had no more, but the elf found another behind his shoulder.

"Is that many daggers really necessary though?" Ash asked him in between the elves. Fili turned his head and gave her a dry look.

When they were done, Orcrist was given to the blonde elf and he spoke some words she didn't understand before glaring down at Thorin. "Where did you get this?"

His voice in the common tongue was not bad to listen to, it was smooth but had a rough demeanor behind it. Ash wondered if he spoke it often or not.

Thorin just looked at him with defiance in his eyes, but answered honestly, "It was given to me." He spoke in a way to not offend him while they were surrounded, but the elf didn't take it so kindly.

He pointed the sharp end at Thorin's throat, "Not just a thief, but a liar as well."

Ash wanted to bite this blonde elf, because for once Thorin was trying to be genuine to save his companions. The elf ordered something in elven and they all ushered them down a path, kept closely by.

"Thorin, where's Bilbo?" Bofur asked him before the were led further away. Thorin realized the hobbit wasn't with them indeed and turned to look into the forest. At least one of them was able to get away free.

As they were led into the fortress Ash assumed was their home, they kept the company in pairs of two so they would be able to stay on the path more easily. Ash walked next to Balin who looked worried and very deep in thought. She felt like she should say something comforting but his was such a wise old dwarf she figured he'd be more annoyed by it at this point, so she remained quiet.

Inside it was rather warm, and the air was less thick, almost like they stepped into a whole different region. The roots were so massive they created sturdy paths to get from one place to another. Delicate leaves fell from above and only a whisper of wind was felt inside. It would be quite beautiful to live here if they weren't being taken prisoner.

Once they reached the bottom near a dip in the cave walls, there were many cage doors up and down the stairs. Oddly shaped and not the traditional dungeons Ash read about, it was still terrifying to be this high up and so close to the edge when walking around.

The dwarves were starting to be shoved into the cages one by one, some of them sharing as there wasn't enough to carry all of them with each in one. Ash figured she was going to be paired up with Balin next to her, but surprisingly they put him in one and moved her onto the next. The dwarves all shoved back right as they were let loose and threw curses at the elves this way and that, yelling at them to let them go.

Ash decided to just let them be taken for she didn't want to lose her temper quite yet in front of a band of elvish warriors. Fili was right to hold caution with them.

When the elf opened the cage door, she noticed Fili standing there right before they put him in. The elf found the last dagger and Fili made a disappointed face before being pushed inside. The elves by Ash went next and tossed her inside as well before shutting the cage door harshly.

Ash realized what was happening and started to kick the door several times, the echoing sound of it was so loud some of the elves turned back around to make sure she didn't actually break it down. Ash glared at all of them but averted her gaze as soon as she did, hoping they didn't see the glowing if they even were.

But as they finished getting all the dwarves locked up Ash pressed up against the bars and almost whined. She can't be stuck in this cage with Fili, she literally had been trying to avoid and push him away this whole time and now that's all they've got. Time. She swallowed and close her eyes as she felt Fili panting behind her, still upset at the situation.

Ash was too but now it was something entirely different than what she should be more concerned about. Her mind couldn't stop from reverting back to the conversation she had with Rhea earlier, and her heart started thumping much to her dismay.

_Curses! I can't be alone with him!_

Ash pressed her head to the wall as Fili laid his back on the opposite side and looked out. Ash bit her lip and felt herself get a small as a beetle when he stood this close, although she doubted Fili was even in that zone or he was thinking of ways to escape. She hoped it was the latter. She felt this increasingly strong pull towards him and it was scary as hell, so she tried to back away from it as much as she could.

Meanwhile, Rhea was put into a cage with Bifur, and she tried looking around to see where Kili and Ash went. She saw Ash go into the same one as Fili's and she almost laughed out loud. Even though it wasn't the appropriate timing, the fact that her friend was explicitly trying to avoid the blonde prince and her growing connection with him, made it all the more golden.

She also finally found Kili being put into his own cell with the same she-elf that killed the spiders around him earlier. She narrowed her eyes and watched as Kili turned to look at her,

"Aren't you going to search me? I could have anything down my trousers."

Rhea rolled her eyes at his cheekiness and saw the she-elf give him a knowing look, "Or nothing." Then she shut the door and walked away, not without giving him a lingering look before the left though.

Rhea frowned on the inside as Kili smirked to himself, watching her go. He looked different, and she had a small feeling creep into her stomach for it. She wondered what this was and why Kili was taking on such a sudden interest in an elf. The very thought made her ponder more than she ever should about certain things.

Maybe Ash was right, things would change before they reached the mountain. They weren't meant to be with dwarves, it didn't fit. It was at this time she missed Dakota, she wanted her friends strong will and ability to find humor in the darkest of places. She hoped she would track them soon, and be able to rescue them, or if not, at least be able to be free if they were never to escape this place.

Little did she realize how much she needed Dakota's strength until she wasn't around for this long.

The dwarves hitting the cells shook her from her thoughts as they all tried kicking and ramming their own bodies into it. Bifur didn't even try but he motioned for her to do so, since he somewhat told her she was very strong for her size. Rhea shook her head though and laid her chin on her knees as she sat on the stone floor.

"Leave it!" Balin shouted at them all. "This is no orc dungeon. These are the halls of the woodland realm. No one leaves here, but by the King's consent."

_Well that was positive thinking._ Ash huffed, watching all around from the inside of the bars. She wondered where they had taken Thorin just before this.

"Where's Dakota and Bilbo when you need them?" Bofur complained, his voice echoing through the entire area.

"Forget it, they would never come." Dwalin contradicted.

"Dakota is loyal, of course she would." Ori defended her. Ash felt a little warm at that, earning some of their trust felt really nice, especially when about Dakota.

"Don't get your hopes up. This place is well guarded and not even our Master Burglar would be able to get in." Balin stated, sighing. Ash knew he had a point though. All hopes laid with Thorin and his discussion with the woodland king.

Thorin stood in front of Thranduil, eyes calculating as he listened to his words. Thranduil stood before him, walking around him like some peasant in front of his king.

"Some may imagine that a more noble quest it at hand. A quest to reclaim a homeland, and slay a dragon." Thranduil watched Thorin closely as he walked past in front of him. "I for one, suspect a more prosaic motive."

Thorin remained expressionless as Thranduil suddenly switched the mood on him. "You also seem to carry not so noble of creatures in your company. Is that right?"

Thorin slightly looked up at him, probably wondering what he meant. Thranduil continued stepping back a little and motioned for one of his guards to bring something up from the stairs behind.

With a bit of a struggle they managed to bring the hostage in front of Thorin down on its knees.

"I assume you know what they are? These…shapeshifters." He almost looked disgusted saying it. "What monstrosities have you brought upon this quest?"

Thorin looked over at what they had put in front of them and his expression went from cold to complete shock and surprise. He took a step forward as he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

For there she was with a muzzle covering her mouth, on her knees, her silver eyes gleaming back at him.

The defiance in her eyes was unmistakable as Thorin kept his gaze on her.

"Dakota?"

* * *

**Hi, I was working overtime for a few days, sorry for my lateness.**

**Thanks for the recent follows and favs ^.^ I hope you guys are enjoying.**

**See you soon,**

**-Pyrite**


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Dakota squirmed and tried shoving off the hands of the two elves holding her shoulders down, but she couldn't use her strength. Her arms were bound tightly behind her, and the wound she received from one of their arrows piercing her skin was weakening her. She hoped it wasn't bleeding out too bad, for she might pass out at any moment if it kept going.

Thorin was just staring at her, looking astounded she was even here. Dakota didn't blame him, she wasn't expecting to find herself captured once she caught onto the trail of her packmates. They came out of nowhere and the forest was so heavy with magic her nose was failing at finding the proper scents and sounds to alert her more regularly.

So here she found herself in the clutches of elves and practically being thrown on her knees right in front of the arrogant King. Well, both of them.

Dakota growled deeply, its unusual sound hitting Thranduils ears and causing him to look over at her. His face showed curiosity, but also disgust with her nature.

"Do you hear that?" He whispered. Thorin basically ignored him, he couldn't stop looking at her with concern in his storm blue eyes. Dakota wondered if her was actually worried about her safety. That would be a first, and rather confusing thing. They've been nothing but snappy at each other since they first met, or cranky.

Thorin then turned his eyes over to the elf king, not looking fazed by it. "That is the sound of a creature that does not belong on this earth." Thranduil told him, stepping over to his other side.

While Thorin refused to counter any argument against it, Thranduil continued onto his speech. "You know this creature, you make it too easy. You even knew her name. A name that which does not belong in any of Middle-Earths languages I assume."

_This guy really knows how to put useless information out there without ever knowing its consequences._ Dakota thought, looking the elf up and down with a slight annoyance. If he truly knew what happened and where they came from, he wouldn't even have her in chains in the first place. Honestly he'd be dead cause Dakota would've felt like ripping his throat out for capturing her friends in the first place.

Thorin just observed him as he spoke, not saying anything. Thranduil hummed at the silence and glanced over at Dakota once more. He tilted his head a bit and watched her, seeming to think about something. "Your eyes do remind me of something I lost quite some time ago. White gems, made from pure starlight. That is an odd and rare color to have."

Dakota looked down so he couldn't see them anymore and he huffed lightly at the disrespect. "You have something I want in that mountain Thorin Oakenshield. For you are mostly looking for the King's jewel are you not? The Arkenstone."

Thorin averted his eyes as the elven king ruled out his true wishes. "It is precious to you beyond measure. I understand that."

Dakota truly thought he didn't. He looked cold as stone from the inside and out. Thorin seemed to recognize what he meant, and slightly narrowed his eyes.

"I offer you my help." Thranduil politely bowed his head.

Thorin let a small smile play on his lips at those words, Dakota scrunched her brows together on what this could mean. Clearly there was a history between these two that she wasn't picking up on.

"I am listening." Thorin commenced, his deep voice rumbling compared to the softer elven king's.

"I will let you go." Thranduil started, "If you but return what is mine."

Dakota felt her arms practically going numb and tried shifting her body a little so she could loosen some binds. The elf that stood over her snatched her back to face forward. Thorin's eyes darted to her, eyes searching her condition before turning around and walking back to face away from them.

"A favor for a favor." He noted.

"You have my word." Thranduil sounded genuine, but something about the heartbeat of Thorin was causing her to doubt he would accept. It was a good deal though, he should be wise to take it or they might never make it out of here. She hoped his rising anger will only stay inside of him.

"One king to another," Thranduil persuaded.

Thorin mused on it for a brief moment, before tilting his head and speaking, "I will not trust Thranduil." He spat with venom. "The great king, to honor his word! Should the end of all days be upon us!"

Startled at his sudden anger, Dakota looked shocked he would talk to the only person here that could free them this way. Was he stupid? What's causing him to react so badly to an offer of help? These dwarves were living up to their stubborn standards each day.

Thorin turned back around in fury, "You, who lack all honor! I have seen how you treat your friends! We came to you once, starving, homeless, seeking your help. And you turned your _back._" He spat.

Thranduil was looking taken aback by his harsh words, like he wasn't expecting such hostility. Dakota had never seen the dwarf king so mad, even when yelling at her. Now she was glad she wasn't on this receiving end. Yeesh.

"You turned away from the suffering of _my_ people! And the inferno that destroyed us!" Thorin then shouted some language angrily after that, and it caused Thranduil to initially snap, leaning over to his face in a flash.

Dakota just watched with wide eyes as she understood what happened between them now. Thorin was betrayed when his people were in danger, and now the one person that did gave him his word that he of course could not trust. On the other hand, Thranduil is still the only one to free the company. Dakota felt a mix of emotions like she wanted to bite the elf but slap the dwarf, she had no idea.

"Do not speak to me about dragon fire! I know its wraith and ruin." Thranduils lower and more whispered voice was much less abrasive than Thorin's but it still incredibly held the threatening tone to it. "I have faced the great serpents of the north."

Thorin just kept his hard expression while Thranduil stepped away. "I warned your father what his greed would summon. But he did not listen. You are just like him."

Dakota widened her eyes at that, for she knew from some stories that his grandfather turned mad. Thorin wasn't mad at all, not for gold at least. She could tell he honestly wanted to do good for his people. He was maddening to her temper though, she couldn't argue that.

Thorin was grabbed by guards as Thranduil said his last words, "Nothing can save you from here. Not even the beasts you brought upon this quest. I will end their lives short, so they won't be able to help you or anyone else and be a toxin to my land. You cannot control them, they are _animals._"

They picked Dakota up and she thrashed around as much as she could to get free. While Thranduil just watched them both go with spite in his eyes. They were carried down into the dungeons while resisting much from the guards. They tossed Thorin in his cell and Dakota right after. Not even taking her binds off or muzzle.

Not able to catch herself properly, Dakota fell on her side and almost squealed in pain from her wound. Luckily the muzzle covered it so she didn't sound like a whining dog.

Once the guards left, Balin talked to Thorin over the bars. "Did he offer you a deal?"

"He did." Thorin replied, proudly adding, "I told him he could go _îsh kakhfê ai-'d-dûr-rugnul!_ Him and all his kin!"

Dakota couldn't see Balin, but she figured he was upset and disappointed too. "Well, that's that then." Was all they heard. "That deal, was our only hope."

Thorin looked up into the dungeons, "Not our only hope."

Dakota wondered what in blazes he could mean, weren't they all captured in here?

Thorin turned around quickly and made for Dakota who sat up against the wall. Her eyes were slowly opening and closing like she was struggling to stay awake. Thorin went behind her and unhooked the chains and let them drop to the ground. Dakota felt relief as her arms dropped and she stretched them out a little.

"Where did you come from?" Thorin asked her, while gently reaching up to her muzzle and unhooking it from behind. He watched her sigh as he tossed it on the ground next to them and she felt her jaw around. "Why did you run so far?"

Dakota tried not to look at him, for he probably didn't really care about the issue that happened between her and the girls. She didn't want to explain either, so she just shrugged. "I needed some space from the girls, and everyone."

Thorin sighed too, looking down at her while he stayed on one knee in front of her. "You were gone awhile."

"I was following behind. So I wasn't really gone." She told him, and he nodded understanding. When she placed her eyes to his face she saw a genuine expression, like he was observing her while she was thinking about his strangely calm demeanor now.

"I know why you were fighting."

Dakota raised her head again hearing that, "You do? How?"

"With Kili's connection with Rhea. Gandalf was able to draw that into his staff and we were able to listen in." Thorin explained, looking actually a little amused.

Dakota widened her eyes, "So you heard everything?"

"Enough to know what got you upset."

Dakota ran a hand through her hair, finding some knots while she was at it. "Ah, jeez…"

"I can understand your concern." Thorin comforted, his tone gentle. It surprised Dakota with his kindness and it was honestly taking her off guard. Naturally she itched to move to a different subject.

"Look by the way what was that in refusing Thranduils deal? Is there someone else who can get us out of here? You seemed so sure." Dakota stood up from where she sat and Thorin followed her move. His expression changed back into his original defensive one,

"I refuse to trust an elf, not after what he did." Thorin looked away and back out of the cell, "Bilbo is still out there."

"He didn't get imprisoned?" Dakota was shocked he got away, but then again he seems to have a knack for getting away from being taken quite often.

Thorin shook his head in answer. A voice came up from a cell nearby interrupting, "Dakota? Is that your voice?"

It was Ash, and Dakota breathed a relief that she was okay. "Yeah it's me." She stood up close to the cell so she could hear better.

"Dakota?! You're okay!" Rhea's relief was also heard up above them and across the chamber. Dakota was feeling a bit better that they both weren't still mad at her. A few of the other dwarves greeted her as well happily, even though they were gloom from being locked up.

Ash stood in front of the cell with her hands on the bars, listening to the familiar voice of her packmate. "Are you okay?" She asked, glad to have her with them again.

"Yeah, a little bruised from when they captured me but other than that I'm fine."

Ash nodded, "Glad you're alright." She figured they would have more private time to talk later about things anyways, she was just happy to have her near again.

Fili noticed her sigh and was watching her right across from the cell wall. "Not still mad at her for what she did?"

Ash could understand why he would ask that. "Not really. I tend to lose my temper first then reevaluate later about it."

Fili nodded, "I can tell."

Ash gave him a deadpanned look, "Gee thanks."

He chuckled a little, "I didn't mean it entirely bad."

"I don't think you meant it any other way." Ash smiled a little at his teasing as he showed her his smirk.

Fili then went quite for a moment, his light green eyes looking back up at Ash who was trying her best to not look at him for too long to make it awkward.

"Do you support my brother with your friend?"

His question sort of caught her off guard, and she shrugged, "I suppose not. I want her to be happy. There's just, certain things I'm wary about, that's all." She decided to be honest with him, maybe he could help her feel better. Rhea did say they should try being friends and that it was okay. Friends help each other feel better, right?

"Certain things, like what?" He wondered, tilting his head a little and crossing his arms over his chest.

Ash wasn't sure if she should say this part, she didn't know if he would tell Kili to back off from Rhea if that's how things were to go. She tried to think of something quick but simple. "That it won't last once, you know, we get to the end. Just temporary feelings probably."

That might've been too much, she then realized. Fili thought on it for a moment, "Are you worried he'll just stop liking her?"

Ash somewhat nodded, not wanting to exactly agree. Fili continued, letting out a light laugh, "I don't think that's how my brother does it. When he goes for things, he goes all in, unafraid."

"Maybe."

Fili noticed her doubt more conspicuously now, "Are you afraid of more than that Ash?"

Ash gave him a low scowl with her dark green eyes, "What do you mean by that?"

Fili leaned off the wall and took a step closer, "You've been slightly avoiding me and being short. Are you mad with me or my brother for who he's with?"

"N-No that's not it." Ash cleared her throat to stop from stammering. Mostly because of how close he was suddenly getting.

Fili was stepping ever closer as he measured her reaction, "What is it then? Are you afraid of something too? Why be more okay with Rhea and Kili, do you understand that feeling?"

Ash felt warm, really warm. Was the sun coming through this cell? Why was he asking such personal questions out of nowhere? What is this purpose?

"I don't know what you mean." She answered honestly.

Fili was now just mere inches from her face, and it was quite remarkable as the wolves don't usually let anybody get that close. Fili knew then he had some sort of advantage.

"You look nervous."

"You're very close." She swallowed dryly.

Fili noticed her leaf colored eyes were starting to shine a little, slowly edging its way from the pupil and out with a pulsing glow. She certainly wasn't looking mad, so what emotion was this?

Ash tried scooting over to the side to get out of the proximity but Fili slammed a hand next to her head to trap her where she was. "What's the matter Ash?"

Ash shook her head, it felt like her stomach was flipping upside down, what on Earth was this? She couldn't tell if this was an amazing feeling or she was gonna be sick.

Fili's eyes were locked on hers and she found herself not being able to properly look away without him catching them again. "Fili…"

"Do you feel something in you too?"

Ash gazed at him, trying to control her emotions but failing miserably at how entrancingly close he was. "I…probably." As all she could manage.

Fili was dangerously closer now, his breath was now felt on her face with how much he inched forward. Ash pressed back against the wall, not able to move any further back. She had no idea what was going on but whatever it was, it was making her afraid of what was coming next. Something was now strongly pulling her body to his, like her soul was reaching out and hooking onto him and not letting go now matter how much she wanted to yank it back.

Fili slowly moved his head forward eyes still on hers as his lips were just millimeters from her own. Ash could feel her heartbeat throughout her entire body, thumping like a maniac. It went even crazier as Fili's other hand gently slid off the wall next to her and right onto her hip, just barely touching her but enough to send her body blazing. She could feel her eyes burning now, like they were itching for him to get closer and telling him so while shining back at him. She silently cursed her wolf inside of her for looking so open in invitation for Fili to make a move like this.

Ash took in short breaths as his body just began to press against hers when Balin's voice startled everyone around the chambers.

"Bilbo!"

Fili snapped his head up and looked out of the cell along with Ash, who blinked a couple times to get the daze out of her brain. "Bilbo?" She echoed.

"Shh! There are guards nearby!" Bilbo told them, unlocking the door to Thorin and Dakota's cell. When it opened, he saw Dakota and gasped, "You're here!"

Dakota let herself be hugged by him and smiled, "I was always here, you know that."

"How? Wait, never mind, later. Help me with the rest of these will you?"

Dakota nodded as Bilbo and her went to each cell and unlocked it, she pulled it open and helped the dwarves out. All the dwarves cheered quietly and clapped him on the back.

"Bilbo you're amazing! How were you able to get the keys? I've never been so happy to see you in my life!" Rhea jumped him and hugged him tight, causing him to temporarily stop breathing with her strength. "You're my hero."

"Dear, your hero can't breathe." Bilbo puffed out, tapping her arm. Rhea let go and mumbled an apology while the dwarves started to head upwards on the stairs. He then motioned for them to stop, "Not that way, follow me down here."

The dwarves all looked at each other confused before following his lead while Kili tried helping Rhea down the stairs she shrugged his hand off her back smoothly, not making it look rough but obvious she didn't need his help. Fili though snatched Ash's hand and practically dragged her down the stairs.

Dakota was never more confused on what she was looking at. Usually it was the opposite on affection? She shook her head to clear that away, perhaps explanations later. And possibly some words with Ash about the _other _prince now. She rolled her eyes to herself. They really couldn't stop themselves could they?

Stepping quickly down the stairs, Bilbo went all the way to the bottom, the dwarves and girls going after in a straight line. When they reached the end of the stairs, Ash realized she was letting Fili still hold her hand and she tried to squirm out of it. However, Fili just smirked at her from the side.

"Stop it, will you let go?" She demanded in a whisper.

"No, you like it."

"My arse I do, release me!" She shook her hand out but Fili just grabbed her forearm and held it again. Ash sighed in defeat.

"You two sure got cozy in those cells." Dwalin noted with a hint of teasing to his voice to the young prince. Ash glared at him and then at Fili for putting her in this embarrassing situation that several other dwarves were beginning to notice too.

Kili looked around before showing exasperation at where they were, Rhea right next to him. "I don't believe it we're in the cellars!"

Bilbo shushed him but Rhea kept it going, "I mean you're still my hero Bilbo but honestly, did you think this through or..?" She raised a brow at him.

"You're supposed to be leading us out not further in." Bofur whispered harshly too, and when Bilbo tried defending himself he just shushed the hobbit back.

When they all passed him they looked around wondering what the heck they were supposed to do until Bilbo gave instructions, "Everybody, into the barrels!"

They all stopped dead in their tracks and all 15 of them turned around to look at him. Rhea didn't even have the heart to say anything else because Dwalin went up to him anyways and said, "Are you mad? They'll find us."

Bilbo shook his head vigorously, "No, no, they won't I promise you, please. Please!" He tried pleading loudly with a hushed tone and they all just kept staring at him, not moving. Dakota walked past him from behind Thorin and went up to the barrels, looking back at Bilbo. She didn't seem to doubt him at all and waited for them to get in.

"You heard him, get in!" Dakota commanded, and Ash and Rhea immediately started hustling forward to find a barrel that looked decent enough. When the dwarves refused to move, Bilbo looked over at Thorin with a 'help me' look.

"Do as he says." Thorin ordered without hesitating, watching them all find their barrels. He glanced at Bilbo who nodded gratefully. The company then started helping each other into the barrels, sliding their bodies in and getting situated. Dakota lifted Rhea up into one of the higher barrels while Ash, (who finally released herself from the sudden assertive Fili) jumped from one barrel to get a lift and throw herself into the middle barrel. Fili and Kili went into the bottom barrels and Thorin found his at the very end, awkwardly scooting himself along with the others inside.

Dakota then realized she didn't have a barrel.

"Awe really…" She pouted, looking all over but none were big enough to even fit two. Barely one.

Bilbo just waved a hand at her, "You're probably the better swimmer. It's best."

Dakota cocked her head over to him, "Excuse me?" Did he say swimming?

"So what now?" Bofur wondered, popping his head out.

"Hold your breath." Bilbo told him, going over to the lever and pulling it down. Instantly the bottom opened up and the dwarves raised their voices in surprise as they quickly rolled down and dropped some distance into the river below. Water splashing up into their faces and choking some of them as they were not yet mentally prepared for that.

Dakota waited for them to all go down before looking over at Bilbo and waited for more instruction for him. When the door closed before them, they were left standing alone in the cellar.

Bilbo smiled proudly to himself and took a moment for being a genius in freeing them. Dakota crossed her arms over her chest and watched him with speculating eyes.

Bilbo glanced over at her and nodded, still impressed with himself. Then it took a moment. Then two moments. Then his smile dropped as Dakota's dry look expressed that he had quite forgotten one thing.

"Oh." Bilbo said to himself.

"Yeah." Dakota agreed. "We swimming in air or shall we follow the troop?"

"Right." Bilbo started tapping the floor with his feet, trying to find the leverage to tilt it the other way while Dakota's ears picked up rushed feet coming down the stairs. Her eyes darted up as one voice shouted,

"Where is the keeper of the keys?!"

Now running out of time completely, Dakota sped walked over to the other end of the platform and slammed her foot into it, causing the whole thing to creak and tilt over. It practically threw Bilbo on his side as he rolled over and down into the water. Dakota jumped down right after him before it closed.

There was a moment of her stomach dropping due to the fall before her body hit the water. It wasn't freezing luckily, but when she swam up for air, she tried spotting Bilbo to make sure he was okay first.

He was pulled up onto Nori's barrel, looking a little wiped from the sudden fall and Dakota swam up to him. He gave her a look, "Warn me next time you do that please."

"Sorry."

"Well done Master Baggins." Thorin praised at the front of the group of barrels. Bilbo just waved it off, spitting out water.

Dakota went ahead and grabbed onto Gloin's barrel to keep herself steady with the rushing water. The company then started paddling their way out faster as the sound of water became louder and more fervent. It was then Thorin shouted from ahead, "Everybody hold on!"

Dakota was about to snap at him that there was literally nothing to hold onto at this point but the crashing sound of the waterfall silenced her as it came upon them so fast she barely had time to hold in her breath.

Dropping yet again they fell into the water, and Dakota lost grip of the barrel. She figured she didn't want to ram her head into it once she tried swimming back up to the surface.

The barrels floating fast down the river as the current was much stronger, pulling the company onwards and back and forth between rocks and sharp ledges. Ash and Rhea tried getting a good view of Bilbo and Dakota to make sure they were okay and not getting bumped into something dangerous under the water. Their whole bodies were soaked at this point, with the river reaching over the edges and falling ungracefully back down upon them.

Dakota was struggling almost to keep her head above the water and was thankfully pulled up again by Gloin who reached down for her. "Hang on lass I got ya!"

A horn echoed throughout the whole forest, its high-pitched drum sounding above all the noises of the river.

"Shut the gate!" One of the elven men ordered. And the entire company had to watch as one of the guards ran up to the lever and pulled it down, the gate before yet another waterfall shut tight right as Thorin reached it. He grabbed the iron bars in frustration and hollered defiantly.

When the elves drew their swords, one of them was suddenly hit in the back by some rusted looking arrow. As he fell, an orc revealed itself behind him and growled. The company could only watch from the barrels as more of the horde of orcs came down upon the guard of elves killing them one by one.

In anger Dakota let out a moan and grit her teeth, "Are you kidding me? What else?!"

* * *

**Hey guys, sorry I'm late. Also sorry if this kind of sucks, I'm not really sure how I'm doing. Thank you though for the recent follows and favs, that makes me feel better too. I appreciate you.**

**See you soon,**

**-Pyrite**


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Dakota ducked underwater as an orc flew overhead and right onto the barrel Gloin was in. She popped back up with a gasp as Gloin had taken care of the orc quickly, shoving him off. Bilbo had stabbed an orc that perched itself above the barrel getting ready to strike, before it fell limp and plopped into the water beside them.

"Get under the bridge!" Thorin ordered, and they all paddled their way and pressed themselves as close as they could to each other underneath. Dakota's back was itching uncomfortably against the next barrel, barely able to squeeze through. Not to mention the several orcs flying this way and that trying to reach them and stab them from above.

Ash had brought down and orc and stole his bow, taking some arrows that penetrated the barrel around her and fired them right back as much as she could. Rhea saw one coming and dropped below the barrels safety as an arrow whizzed past from an orc archer. She rose up again with wide eyes.

Kili must've had an idea for he suddenly jumped out of his barrel and hopped onto the bridge, fighting off some oncoming orcs and catching a sword Dwalin threw at him for better protection. Heading his way over to the lever the elves pulled in the first place to shut the gate. Rhea watched him carefully while fending off the orcs coming onto them at the same time, trying to make sure he wasn't hurt while doing it.

Kili was almost there, and Rhea looked back at the archers and saw once again, a massive pale orc. This one looked different though, as his face was half scarred and his build was much leaner. However it didn't hit her realization on what he was doing until he pulled back his arrow from the string and fired. She flipped her head around to see where it landed and sure enough, Kili froze in his spot as the arrow pierced straight through his leg.

"Kili!" His brother called out to him and Rhea just watched him fall to his knees, shocked at what she saw. His face twisted to pain as he grabbed hold of the wounded area, not able to move another inch. Rhea's rage at the pale orc behind her boiled immensely, her instincts kicking into full gear as she fumed deep breaths. Her hazel eyes glowed into a fiery amber, miniature flames licking out from the pupils as she slowly turned around to the big orc.

An arrow found its mark in another orc as it tried to finish of Kili, and when he looked over at who did it surprisingly, it was the she-elf from before. The one he had a few conversations with as well when they were in the cells. He got so distracted by her coming to save him he didn't even realize Rhea had charged out of her barrel and shifted into her wolf form uncontrollably. She went head on with the pale orc and took him by surprise as well, knocking him into the ground and tearing into him.

A few orcs tried to tackle Rhea but she was far too large to just simply be thrown onto her back. Her muscles and weight was even difficult for the giant orc beneath her to wriggle free. She had her jaws clamped firmly around his collarbone and shook him back and forth while he desperately tried calling to his orcs around him and reaching for his sword at the same time.

Snarling, Rhea tore into him deeper, causing the great orc to howl in immense pain. She heard a cracking noise and knew she finally broke the bone within. A few arrows were flying past at the orcs trying to get to her, for Ash was doing her best to protect her friend from being stabbed to death due to her rage shifting.

"Rhea! Come back it's not safe!" Ash called out to her, but Rhea was stubbornly shaking the orc around and slamming him into the ground over and over again until he could be knocked out. The massive body of orc looked so limp he seemed to be close to that point.

When the orcs started surrounding the she-elf, more elves came after her, even the blonde one Legolas they first met. They began killing off the remaining orcs trying to kill the dwarves with precision and expertise.

Rhea was finally knocked off of the orc beneath her when he managed to grab his club and hit her across the head. Rhea stepped sideways and shook it off, glaring back at him with fury in her eyes and long fangs exposed through her snarl. They were covered in black blood from the orc and he struggled to stand upright for a moment, the injury clear from this view as it dripped with blood and his arm slacked at an odd angle.

"Rhea!" Ash's voice seemed distant a little and Rhea twitched her ear forward a bit to catch the sound of barrels ramming into each other before dropping into another section of water. She turned around to see the gate had been opened by Kili, and he rolled painfully over back into his barrel as they all went down.

As she looked away the pale orc ran past her and commanded his horde to chase after the dwarves, following after them as well to get away from the angry shapeshifter.

Rhea growled as she realized he'd gone before running next to the barrels on the river, watching them grab weapons from the orcs attacking them and killing them as they jumped on top of the company's heads. Bilbo and Dakota looked like they were barely hanging on, sliding off and on again while Ash maneuvered around her barrel so the short blades she stole could slice off any nearby orc.

The barrels quickly went down the raging river, the horde of orcs coming from both sides and Rhea pounding after them all from behind. She kept close enough to the side and pelted faster so she was able to catch up to them.

She saw Kili cringing in pain inside his barrel and wasn't even looking like he had the strength to fight like he was a few minutes ago. Worry crept inside of her at what damage that arrow had done.

As she ran beside the group she bit down on a few orcs as she surpassed them, tossing them aside and keeping them from jumping into the water on top of the company. She knew she had to shift back in order to follow the company down the river, for the paths on the side were getting rockier and much less stable.

When she managed to get up in front of them, she caught an orc getting ready to pounce and jumped him, ripping his head off with a swift twist at the neck. When she looked back up, she saw the blonde elf Legolas looking at her.

Deciding not to pick a fight with the elf that had imprisoned them, she dropped the head of the orc and raised her head high, looking down on him. Legolas looked not even fazed at her size and dangerous stature. He just narrowed his eyes a little before firing another arrow down onto an oncoming orc. Rhea ran past him while he was distracted for a moment, to not risk him attacking her, and kept up with the dwarves in the barrels.

Bombour had somehow managed to flip himself over from a spear embedded in a tree log, bouncing around and squishing orcs as his barrel rolled over and over again. Rhea jumped the river as Bombour was coming to a halt and started defending himself by whacking his blades around this way and that. Rhea helped him finish off the remaining before she bit the back of his shirt and hurled him into the water. Luckily her aim was good as he plopped himself right back into another barrel.

Thorin pulled a sword from a dead orc above them and tossed it back to Nori, who then passed it to Dwalin who threw it back to Fili. Fili unprepared a little sliced an orc that came straight for him. Ash was expertly balancing in the middle of her barrel and shooting arrows wherever she could find a target. Several times Fili had caught her catching the arrows midflight before knocking it back immediately and hitting the orc that fired it in the first place.

Dwalin was struggling to hold back an orc that had come upon him and Fili couldn't get close enough to cut him off. When he looked around quickly he found Ash again next to him and called out to her for help, "Ash! Help Dwalin!"

Ash whipped her head around and found Fili's eyes before looking over to Dwalin. Her face turned to determination as she leapt out of her barrel, keeping one hand on the side as the barrels once again fell down a slight drop. She used the momentum from bouncing back up in the waves to kick off from the side cliff and fling herself over to Dwalin.

Dwalin, noticing how fast she was going to come over there, ended up ducking out of the way as Ash's boots collided with the orcs body, her strength of force was so powerful it flew the orc right into the cliff edge and penetrating him. Ash had then gripped the side of Dwalin's barrel when she kicked it, and after that ended up dropping next to him into the water.

Dwalin peeked out and held the axe that originally belonged to the orc, looking down to make sure she was still there. When he saw her he actually put on a little smirk. "Nice one lass."

Ash coughed up some water, "That landing could've been better."

Dwalin acknowledged her dry joke before turning around and attacking the orcs with his new weapon in hand.

After some orcs falling into the water and drowning more, Ash eventually made it back inside her barrel safely and took a moment to catch her breath. The barrels crashed against the water one more time before the pathways on both sides came to an end.

Rhea sprang up from the bushes and shifted back into her human form just before hitting the water in front of Oin. When she emerged, he leaned over and helped her grab on as they all floated away from the remaining horde and elves.

Rhea looked around for her comrades and saw Ash soaking in her barrel and Dakota still stubbornly hanging onto Bofur's barrel. Although she started with Gloin's so she must've moved around when fighting the orcs back and forth.

She also saw Legolas standing above the hill, watching them go down the rivers strong currents, his eyes focused. Rhea felt a weight lifted off her chest, finally being free from a cage and not having to actually worry of being imprisoned for the rest of her life. She felt so confined in that small cellar, no way would she be able to shift comfortably to stretch her muscles out as needed.

As the river carried them on, they got further and further from the orcs that still vaguely followed. Ash watched them shrink from the distance and put some good land and cliffs between them. No way were they going to be able to see where they went at this point. Luckily, all they have to do now is wait for the current to slow, so they can properly travel in the right direction.

* * *

"Is there anything behind us?" Thorin asked Balin, while holding a single stick he picked up along the way.

"Not that I can see!" Balin informed him. Rhea's arms were tired from clinging to the barrel for so long, she let go so she could float next to them for a little while. The water was slow enough that she didn't have to hold on to keep up.

Ash was leaning both arms over the barrel, looking exhausted. Her dark brown hair almost black at its wetness, stringing down on her face. She was so sick of water going down her throat, it was starting to feel raw.

Bofur appeared out of his barrel, spitting water and looking around like he missed everything. "I think we've out run the orcs!"

"Not for long, we've lost the current." Thorin told him, using the stick to guide his barrel down. Ash noticed though, that the person originally holding Bofur's barrel was no longer there. She glanced around in slight panic, not seeing her.

"Dakota?!" She called, perking her ears as much as she could to get a sound. They were a bit water clogged, she had to shake her head a little.

Thorin looked over at her call, and his expression changed lightly as well. Ash thought she was seeing a blur, but was he looking worried for her friend?

Bah, probably not. But she couldn't deny his face from looking.

"Where is she?" He questioned, voice rising.

"Dakota?" Bofur called out this time too, realizing he lost the companion attached to his barrel. "Dakota where did you go?"

"You lost her?" Thorin began to sound annoyed and angry. Ash was beginning to get a sense of something here now from him, and she quirked a brow for it.

"I'm right here! Will you people relax." Dakota's voice was heaven as she appeared on the land beside them, looking sopping wet and her hair tangled over her head, hanging across her face. She must've swam to the shore and didn't tell anybody she was doing it. Typical Dakota.

Ash watched Thorin as he showed relief from looking at her condition. But it was only there for a fleeting moment before her ordered, "Make way for the shore! C'mon let's go."

They all paddled as much as they could to make it to the rocky shoreline, falling out of their barrels clumsily. Ash crawled out of hers the moment it hit the bottom and slowly laid herself on her back, looking up at the sky.

"Ah land…" She sighed, closing her eyes.

Rhea came up next to her and sat on her knees, water dripping from her clothes. She looked around just as Dakota went up to them both and stood nearby. Rhea noticed Kili fall to his knees himself and groan in pain, holding the leg he was hit with.

Rhea jolted to her feet and ran over to him, seeing him grit his teeth and look at the wound. She went over to face him, and leaned down in front, carefully removing his hand. Kili tried hiding it telling her that it was nothing but Rhea aggressively slapped his arm away and forced the wound to show itself.

"Rhea it's nothing." He tried reassuring.

"You're bleeding Kili, I doubt that." She mumbled, focused on ripping a piece of cloth off and gently tapping on the blood oozing out. Kili couldn't reply as he grunted again from the sting. Fili also showed up next to her and got something to tie around the top of the open wound to keep it from bleeding out.

"On your feet." Thorin told everyone, looking at Kili.

"Kili's wounded, his leg needs binding." Fili attempted to stop Thorin from rushing things. Rhea kept dabbing at the blood and pressed the makeshift rag up against it. The scent of blood this close up was almost…endearing. It felt like if she truly gave into this scent, the hunt would trigger inside of her. Luckily, she was bonded with him, so it wasn't that strong of an instinct. But it did surprise her by showing up at all. She wondered concerningly if smelling any of the others' blood up close would cause a worse effect.

"It'll be fine." Kili defended, looking down at Rhea whose eyes were looking like she was thinking hard on something.

"There's an orc pack on our tail, we keep moving." Thorin finished, making sure everyone was on their feet and ready to go. However Ash was still laying on the ground but she looked fit enough to move when needed. Dakota was looking out and around the trees behind them, like something was going to come out at any moment.

"To where?" Balin questioned, hair basically sticking out all over the place in a frizz. Bilbo came up next to him,

"To the mountain, we're so close." He started to look like he was getting cold.

"A lake lies between us and that mountain."

"I am _not_ swimming again." Ash piped up from where she was laying, raising her arm to acknowledge her statement.

Fili cocked his head to the side at her position.

"We have no other way to cross it." Balin added, shrugging.

"So then we go around." Bilbo offered like it was simple.

"The orcs will run us down, as sure as daylight." Dwalin thwarted the hobbits quick hopes as the company all looked at each other, not knowing what else to do either. "We've no weapons to defend ourselves."

"Not all of us need weapons." Dakota witted, side glancing at the warrior dwarf. Dwalin was not amused, but Thorin smirked a little.

"Bind his leg then, quickly." Thorin told Fili and Rhea. "You have two minutes."

Dakota sniffed something in the air coming from her left, and her head followed. Looking through the trees she watched closely. The others continued to have small talk on what plans should come next, but she drowned their voices out.

Stepping away for a moment, she left Ash and went in more on where the smell was coming from. It was much different than elven or hobbit or even dwarf. It was similar to one, maybe. More like a mix of one type of blood to more earthy, and salt. She was having a hard time describing it, even in her head.

She saw Ori just a bit away, dumping some water back into the river from his boot. She didn't think he was it, but it was definitely coming from near him. As she stayed back a little, she finally saw something move slowly but rushed up onto the rock behind the young dwarf. It was a man. A man holding a knocked arrow on his bowstring.

Without uttering a word, Ori slowly looked up from where he sat and stared wide eyed at the tall man. The man however didn't instantly go for the kill as his bow was still slightly lowered, but remained watching his every move.

Dwalin, the ever brilliant one, decided to jump in front of Ori with an armed stick, showing his growl. The man then decided that was a threat and shot right in the center of the stick, breaking it almost in half.

Now the entire company was watching, and Ash flipped upwards and back into her feet. Eyes narrowed as she realized she didn't have a bow or anything to shoot at him. Kili tried though as he shot up from where he sat and prepared to throw a rock.

However that faulted as the man shot that straight out of his hand as well. Rhea growled lowly and stood next to Kili. The dwarves all remained still as they were defenseless against this man.

"Do it again, and you're dead." He threatened.

When he pointed the arrow tip back at Dwalin who moved once more, he saw the dwarf slowly show a smirk.

Confused, the man strung back his arm. Right before he could shoot any more, an arm twisted around the bow and flung it sideways. With his firm grip, the man held onto it and ended up falling flat on his back while some heavy strength kicked his legs from under him and pushed him into the ground.

When he looked up he saw cold silver eyes glaring down at him. Her hand was on his shoulder while her arm captured his other arm, keeping it tight and slightly painful so he wouldn't be able to move.

"Try and shoot them again, and _you're_ dead." She growled.

Using this opportunity with having the upper hand for once, Balin stepped up to face the man above him on the rock. Since it was higher leveled, he came eye to eye with him.

The man, in an effort to gain the upper hand, tried to lift himself up from the smaller girl on top of him. But astoundingly, she barely budged from his strength and size. Looking her over, the man seemed wary. "Who are you people?"

"You're from Laketown, if I'm not mistaken." Balin answered him, ignoring the questions motives. Balin gently patted the arm of Dakota, "Easy lass."

Dakota released his arm and stepped off of him, her eyes dimming to a darker grey. The man watched her with slight fascination and fear at this point, wondering what she was. Dwarves certainly don't look like that as females, and those eyes are far too bright for normality. He slowly got to his feet and looked down at the older dwarf.

"That barge over there, it wouldn't happen to be for hire would it?" Balin wondered precariously.

"No." The man said, before picking up his bow and heading over to it. Giving one last curious glance over at Dakota as he passed.

Balin exchanged a look with Thorin who then nodded. The company began to follow the man to his boat. Rhea holding onto Kili for slight support, as much as he would let her.

"What makes you think I would help you?" The man asked rhetorically, clearly not in the mood for small talk as he loaded barrels onto it. Some of them were the barrels the group came down in from the river, Dakota noticed.

"Those boots have seen better days." Balin told him, noting they would pay. "As has that coat."

The man continued to load the barrels, as he was listening. "No doubt you have some hungry mouths to feed. How many bearings?" Balin kept going.

"A boy and two girls." He replied.

"So three, he could've said three." Dakota mumbled, mostly to herself. Ash pinched her arm and Dakota whapped her hand back.

"Stop it we need to gain his favor." Ash whispered harshly.

"After that fiasco, I doubt he'd wanna do anything."

Balin smiled kindly and nodded, knowing he was right, "And your wife, I'm sure she's a beauty."

The man stopped and looked out into the water, "Aye, she was."

Then everyone got silent and dropped the fake smiles, while Balin profusely apologized for bringing it up. Dwalin got impatient and voiced these thoughts to Thorin below him, who looked equally as annoyed. The man caught the words and narrowed his eyes. Before speaking though he noticed two other girls in the group, each looking just as intimidating as the first. It was an odd group at that, but something was off about the girls, dangerously off.

"What's your hurry?" He questioned, looking at Dwalin again.

"What's it to you?" He fired back.

"I would like to know who you are, and what you are doing in these lands." He demanded gracefully.

Balin got them covered though, "We are but simple merchants from the Blue Mountains, journeying to see our kin, in the Iron Hills."

The man squinted over Balin's shoulders, "Those women you have with you look and act far from merchants."

Some of the dwarves turned to eye the girls and sure enough, Dakota had Ash in a headlock while Rhea smacked her hand to her forehead at her packmates wonderful timing.

The girls dropped the small wrestling moves and cleared their throats, looking around like nothing. Fili shook his head at Ash who shyly scratched the back of her head in embarrassment.

"We need food, supplies, weapons. Can you help us?" Thorin interrupted, stepping forward so they can move this conversation along.

The man touched the side of one of the barrels, "I know where these barrels come from."

Thorin pretended to look unfazed, "What of it?"

"I don't know what business you had with the elves. But I don't think it ended well."

His words caused Balin to look dismayed a little and Thorin a bit annoyed at his intense questioning. "No one enters Laketown but by leave of the Master. All his wealth comes from trade with the woodland realm."

_Oh of course it does._ Dakota internally rolled her eyes. This Master person couldn't find wealth any other way? Really? It had to come back to them with the elves.

"He would see you in irons before risking the wraith of King Thranduil." The man tossed the rope right into Balin's face and Dakota growled loudly, stepping up next to the older dwarf and pulling the ropes off him.

"I'd wager there are ways to enter that town unseen." Balin offered.

"Aye, but for that you would need a smuggler-"

"Which we would pay, double."

The man looked at Balin who faced him, his eyes thinking over the deal.

After a few moments, the man agreed and told them all to get inside the barrels once more for he had an idea to hide them.

So once more, all the dwarves found themselves inside the barrels, scrunched up as much as they could at the bottom so they wouldn't be seen. Dakota hopped onto the boat last and yet again, didn't have a barrel to hide in.

"Oh c'mon even Bilbo has a barrel this time!" She whined, seeing him pop his head out. Bilbo gave her a guilty look.

"We can switch Cotes, I'm fine standing." Bilbo offered nicely. When Dakota opened her mouth to speak, the man went first.

"No. It's best if it's a girl. I can explain a maiden much better than a hobbit." He said, nodding to Dakota. She grumbled and stepped away from the barrels and towards the back. Whatever that meant, she had to hide in plain sight now.

"What do you mean?" Thorin spoke up, standing from his barrel. His eyes scanning the bargeman up and down.

"You'll see."

* * *

**Hey, I know I"m late again. You're here just for the reading, I know. I've just been going through a major heartbreak and I found it so difficult to think clearly this past week. I'm still gonna write in this everyday, hoping to update each day or every other at the least. If not, don't fret at all, I'm still here, just taking a bit of time to focus.**

**Thanks for sticking around, and thank you **_BlueFireWolves_** for the kind words, means a lot to me. :)**

**Also thank you for the recent follows and favs, you guys are amazing.**

**See you soon, promise.**

**-Pyrite**


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